


Shadows

by eams81



Series: Tones [1]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Crush at First Sight, Families of Choice, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Secret Relationship, Slow Build, Still a hockey player Jamie Benn, Tyler seguin is not a hockey player, Veteran Tyler, reconsidering that slow build tag, tattoo artist - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2019-11-03 23:41:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 46,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17887352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eams81/pseuds/eams81
Summary: Tyler had faced a lot of things in life. He had seen war, and more recently he had been forced to look at the horrible designs that people wanted to get tattooed onto their bodies. Neither of those prepared him for the gaggle of reporters and cameras that swarmed towards him and Jamie.The one where Jamie is still a hockey player, but Tyler is a tattoo artist and a veteran.





	1. Chapter 1

Tyler’s phone buzzed on the black marble countertop next to him. Frowning softly at the offending device, Tyler tried his best to ignore the blue flashing light in his peripheral vision as he attempted to focus back on the sketchbook in front of him. The sharp black lines of the piece he was currently struggling against unfortunately offered no competition against his intrigue and procrastination. Dropping his drawing pen down on to the counter, Tyler hastily unlocked his phone desperate to avoid making one more line on the current commission that was ruining his life.

Opening up his messages, Tyler blinked slowly at the words on his screen. ‘ _Hi this is my new number, I was wondering if you were free tomorrow night?’_ There were only five people who had his current phone number, and four of those people were his family in Canada.  The other was currently in the studio next to his. 

Blaming his own impatience and mild annoyance at how his day was turning out, Tyler ran his fingers through his brown curls as he blew out a sigh. Tapping out a quick response, he watched as the icon changed into two green little ticks as the message was sent and was seen by the unknown person on the other end of the conversation.

 ** _‘Who the fuck be this_** ’

_‘It’s Jamie’_

Jamie who? Tyler was not in the mood for this at all. He was certain that he hadn’t met any Jamie’s in the short time that he had been living in Dallas and he was mostly sure that he didn’t know any Jamie’s back in Canada.

**_‘I think you’ve got the wrong number love.’_ **

He barely had enough time to put his phone back down onto the side before the screen light flashed back in his face as the next message came through. Growling under his breath, Tyler flipped his sketchbook closed and threw down his fine-liner on top of the suede cover. Swiping his phone open once more, he couldn’t resist the urge to shout at the inanimate object in response to the words written on his screen.

_‘No, it’s Jamie. We met at Ben’s party last month.’_

“I don’t fucking know either of you! _”_ Tyler didn’t care that the internal walls of the studio were thin enough that Pev’s would have undoubtedly of heard him shout. Pev’s knew that he had the current social capabilities of a hermit, and his friend would also most certainly agree that he hadn’t been to any parties either; whether they were hosted by a Ben or not.

The next few minutes, Tylers sole attention was on the phone in his hand. His irritation was building up to an extent that he was snapping at his phone every single word that he tapped into the screen. A haze of sass was also washing over him, giving him the confidence that he hadn’t had for a while, as he argued with the enigma on the phone.

**_“I don’t know a Jamie and I don’t know a Ben.”_ **

_‘You do. I have a picture of us all together. I can send it you.’_

**_‘Go ahead, send it cause it ain’t me darling’_ **

There was a weird sense of pride as he called out the stranger on the phone. Tyler wanted to be able to prove that they were obviously talking to the wrong person, and having a photo sent that was supposedly of him was a brilliant way of doing so. The glee in his chest at the thought of being able to open up the image file and bluntly respond with an immediate ‘Not Me’, made him feel the happiest he’d been for a long time.

To his delight his phone buzzed and the green light flashed again. Swiping it open he eagerly tapped the image file that was loading up. A photo filled his screen; a blonde woman in a sparkling green party dress stood with a dark-haired man on either side of her. One of the men was towering over the others, quite obviously way over six-foot-tall, and Tyler couldn’t even begin to describe the other man. Both men were dressed in finely cut suits, which were clearly custom fitted and probably cost more than anything Tyler owned. The trio all sported big perfectly white smiles, and in the background, there were groups of people all as elegantly dressed as them. Tyler rubbed self-consciously at the paint stains on his jeans, and dropped a glance at the ink stains running up his hands and forearms.

A message popped up underneath the photo, _‘See you, me and Ben.’_

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm the sudden anxiety that coursed through his veins as he shakily opened up the camera on his phone and switched it to the selfie mode. Long gone were the days where Tyler used to have the confidence to be vain, it had been nearly two years since he had taken a photo of himself.  The cockiness he’d had not two minutes before had disapparated leaving his fingers shaking slightly as he tapped the button to take a photo.

His curls were wilder than they were that morning, probably from running his fingers threw them in frustration, and there was a smear of ink on his cheek which Tyler had no clue how it got there. He couldn’t deny that he wasn’t a troll though, he could accept that he was still cute even when he looked a mess. But he was definitely not a stunning blonde and nor was he the tall guy on the blondes right, and he wasn’t the gorgeous man on the blondes left. Clicking send on the photo, Tyler typed back hesitantly.

**_‘Told you, you got the wrong person. None of those three people are me.’_ **

The bubble of anxiety in his chest, nearly caused him to act on the desire to throw his phone against the wall.  Instead of his phone meeting an unfortunate end against the wall, Tyler grabbed the second closest thing to him. His sketchbook hit against the wall with a resounding smack, the noise echoing around the room and no doubt around the entire studio. A brief thought crossed Tyler’s mind, as he fought to remember if Pev’s had anyone scheduled in for appointments this afternoon. If his friend had, it was too late as they had undoubtedly heard his prior shouting already.

Tyler wished he could reach through the internet and take back the photo he had sent to some random stranger. Just like the majority of things in his life, he wished he could take it all back; however just like the rest of his life, he couldn't and that was solidified when his phone once again buzzed and shone that blasted blue light once more.

_‘Fuck! You still want to come with me tomorrow. I need to bring someone with me or I’m not going to hear the end of it. You can say we’re old friends from somewhere or something.’_

Self-consciously, Tyler began to fiddle with the hem of his worn and paint covered hoodie. Some stranger wanted him to go out with him to some form of a social event; it was quite evidently more than just an invitation to go to the cinema with some buddies. Scrolling back up the stream of messages, Tyler paused on the photo of the three incredibly well-dressed individuals. One of these people wanted him to join them, and they knew what he looked like. He was wearing the clothes that he frequently wiped his dirty paintbrushes on for god's sake. It wasn’t just his appearance though, he could sometimes struggle to hold a normal conversation with the family of his closest friend, and they had literally given him a roof over his head. 

Letting out a shaky breath, he failed to stop the slight shiver in his hands as he slowly tapped out a response. He had after all promised Nathalie during one of their 2AM insomniac coffee chats/ counselling sessions, that he would try to dip his toes back into society.

**_‘You do know that I have no which one of them three you are right?’_ **

Tyler barely had to wait ten seconds before his phone lit up and a photo filled his screen. He felt his heart jolt at the face that greeted him; with a few strands of loose black hair falling into his eyes and an adorable smile that made some of the self-imposed frozen chains around his heart begin to melt. It was the guy that he couldn’t even begin to describe, the impossibly sexy one who hadn’t been the walking beanstalk. This was Jamie. This was the person who wanted Tyler to come with him to an event. Tyler let that sink in for a few seconds, he wanted him; the little voice in the back of his head that taunted his days, reminded Tyler that he was only asked because this ‘Jamie’ probably didn’t have any other options. Besides it was practically a proven fact, if you look like that you probably don’t have anything else going for you. For all Tyler knew, this Jamie was nothing more than a pretty face; chances are he will end up being an arsehole, with no brains and getting by on Daddies money.

Before Tyler found the courage within himself to respond, his phone buzzed in his hand.

_‘That a yes then?’_

With a shaky breath and even shakier fingers, Tyler tapped out a reply, his heart thumping loudly in his chest.

**_‘Can’t really say no to that face can I?’_ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold Italic - Tyler texting  
> Italic - Jamie texting

“Come on Chubbs! Get your skates on the ice,” Jamie jumped in his sat, his eyes jolting away from his phone to look up at his smirking brother. “We’re all ready and waiting dude.”

True to his words, Jordie was decked out in full hockey gear, which was more than Jamie could say about himself. His jersey still hung on the hanger in his stall; the 14 on the green sleeve stood out against the lightwood of the wall. The fact it was still on the hanger instead of on his shoulder where it was meant to be was enough. Jamie knew that if he didn’t start moving soon, coach would be storming in and dragging him out by his ear. Knowing Coach Ruff he probably would.

Dressed in just his pants and pads, his skates still sat half-tied on his feet. Around him the stalls were all empty, and Jamie wondered how long he had been messaging back and forth with the enigma on the other end of the phone. Ignoring the gleeful look that often came side by side with brotherly banter and endless teasing, Jamie dropped his phone back into his space. Shuffling his jersey over his head, Jamie rose steadily to his feet after securing the lacing on the skates. Chancing one more look at his phone to check if he had received any further messages, he pulled his gloves down from their shelf before following his brother out to the rink.

As he walked the short distance towards the ice, Jamie’s mind pondered on the man he had invited along to the Foundation event tomorrow night. Despite being for a good cause, Jamie hated the act of mingling at a party. He would much rather just donate a portion of his paycheque to foundation every month; which he did regardless. When he had walked into the locker room that morning, the last thing on Jamie’s mind was who he was bringing to the event. When the answer had been no-one, he had met with a mix of sighs from the team before Patrick Sharp had sided with his brother.

“Dude, you can’t turn up to one of these things Stag. It doesn’t look good.”

From there, Jamie had been left half dressed in his gear as he scrolled through the meagre list of contacts in his phone. By the time he had cancelled out his teammates and other players, he was left with fewer than ten contacts. One name called out to him. Ben had introduced him to Emma a few weeks ago at a party that the goaltender had been hosting. She must of thought Jamie’s personal brand of awkwardness was endearing, as by the end of the night they had exchanged phone numbers. Nothing became of it, Jamie didn’t even think to message her after the party let alone arrange any further meetings. He wondered if Emma had deliberately given him a wrong number or if it was just an honest accident. Jamie couldn’t bring himself to complain though, he may not be bringing a date to the event, but at least he now had a plus one to accompany him.

The moment he put his blades on the ice, any thoughts of the event slipped away from him, but the thoughts on his mystery invite plagued his mind. The urge to jump straight back off the ice and run back to his phone pulled at his chest. Jamie didn’t even ask the guys name.

 

Coach had been pissed, showing it in passive aggressive ways instead of shouting. Jamie ached all over, but his legs felt like lead after the suicide drill that Coach had got them to do. If he had been made to do one more run, Jamie wouldn’t have been able to step off the ice; he would have only been able to crawl off it, a broken man. Padding slowly into the locker room, Jamie all but collapsed down into his stall, grabbing at his abandoned phone as he fell.

_‘So you know my name, but I forgot to ask yours. I very much doubt that you’re called what I’ve got you listed as.’_

**_‘Depends on what you’ve got my listed as?’_ **

Jamie smirked at the near instant response he received. Around him, the team were quickly stripping away layers of sweaty jerseys and gear. Most of them were making there way on shaky legs to the gym to do post work-outs and cool down exercises. Jamie knew that he should change into his work out gear and join them, just to fight some of the fatigue that was making his legs resemble jelly.

‘ _Well I’ve got you listed as Emma, so unless you’ve got one hell of a story to tell I don’t think that’s right._ ’

**_‘Damn, you know my secret.’_ **

**_‘Definitely not an Emma. It’s Tyler.’_ **

**_‘Are you still sure you want me to come with to whatever you have going on tomorrow? What is it by the way?’_ **

Jamie smiled goofily down at his phone, it was a nice easy banter that he could fall into easily. It was always easier for Jamie to talk via phones and messages, it was less awkward and uncomfortable. He had always been slightly awkward when it came to conversations, even as a kid; it was a quirk that he hadn’t grown out of as an adult.

_‘Charity event, I have been told it is not good to turn up alone. Tyler suits you a lot more than Emma does by the way!’_

**_‘Charity event sounds like its going to be formal. I don’t know how to be formal.’_ **

_‘Neither do I, trust me! It’s not as bad as it sounds, I promise.’_

**_‘I have ink stains which are days old which I can’t get off my hands, and you want to take me to a charity event with rich and posh people?’_ **

_‘Not everyone will be rich and posh. Some will just be pretentious wankers’_

Jamie couldn’t resist the snort that came out at his own very accurate humour. He normally stuck like a shadow to Jordie’s side as much as he could at events like the one planned. His awkward nature when it came to talking had nearly got him into a range of trouble when it came to socialising with benefactors. One incident sparked instantly to mind, where he had very nearly suggested to a benefactor that if they cared so much about helping people, maybe they should start by not treating the serving staff like slaves. The stars PR manager tended to stay close to him at events after that one.

**_‘How do I know you aren’t going to be a pretentious wanker as well?’_ **

_‘I hope you won’t have that impression of me.’_

_‘Do you want to meet for coffee later?’_

A ball of rolled up tape hit Jamie square in the face, his attention jumped away from his phone. In the room around him, players had begun to return from their workout. Jamie glared at the guys watching him with devilish grins, daring one of them to make the first comment.

“Come on, whose the girl? You’ve been glued to that thing all morning.” Jason Spezza teased, hiding another small ball of used tape behind his back.

“Not texting a girl,” Jamie muttered awkwardly, shuffling his shoulders as more attention was directed at him. Dropping his gaze down, Jamie pretended that the stars logo adorning the floor was much more interesting than it actually was.

“Bullshit!” A shout came from the other side of the room. When Jamie looked up from the floor, he shot daggers at Cody; the player behind the shout. Jamie opened his mouth, a pathetic attempt at a retort balanced on the tip of his tongue when his phone once more buzzed in his hand. His response died on his lips, as he scrambled to unlock his phone and read the message that Tyler had sent.

**_‘Is this your way of trying to prove you’re not an arsehole?’_ **

**_‘You are actually in Dallas right? Just realised that you could be anywhere in the world?’_ **

_‘I’m in Dallas, do you want to meet at Mudsmith-Centrum?’_

His teammates were slowly dissipating, shaking their heads as they walked away. If their captain wanted them to honestly believe that he wasn’t messaging some girl, he should at least try to play it a little cooler whenever he got a message. Every time the phone buzzed, Jamie’s eyes lit up with uncontained enthusiasm.

**_‘That sounds good, what time? By the way I won’t be offended if the invite gets taken back after you meet me.’_ **

_‘Meet in an hour? I need to shower before I do anything. I am not taking back the invite unless you tell me you’re a weird serial killer or you kick puppies or something. You’re not right?’_

**_‘No puppy kickers or killers here.’_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone knows the names of Rich Pevereley's family this would be an amazing help for the next few chapters.
> 
> This is me trying to get updates ready and sorted in preparation for my big American adventure! The excitement is real, I get to go watch these two beautiful people playing and I can not wait!
> 
> As this fic is set before my Sidney/Geno fic, Highlights, it takes place at some point before and between the 2015/2016 season.
> 
> Mudsmith is a real place, which I googled for this chapter and it appeals to my hipster aesthetic far more than it should.


	3. Chapter 3

Tyler jiggled his leg, uncomfortable and anxious in his surroundings. The pleasant rustic appearance of the coffee shop appealed to all of his aesthetics; the reclaimed styled wood that made up the counter and the tables balanced nicely against the grand style of the armchairs that scattered the room. His fingers itched for a pen and a piece of paper so that he could sketch aspects of the room, and Tyler wished for the dorky polaroid camera that his sisters had brought for him when he was still deployed. With none of those to hand, Tyler was left to fiddle with his phone, spinning the device in his hand as he watched the door. His coffee he ordered upon arrival, sat cold and half drunk in front of him.

He didn’t know why he had agreed to this; every single aspect of his day was stepping out of his regime. It didn’t feel right, making him feel like he was floating in the middle of an indecisive dream. In the space of a morning, Tyler had agreed to go to a charity event with a complete stranger and was now waiting for said stranger to arrive for a coffee date. He wished he had been wise enough to ignore his messages earlier and continued to fight his way through the disgusting commission. You wanted to have a realistic tattoo of an octopus eating a cupcake, go right ahead. Tyler winced as he thought of that half-finished design that was still sat in his studio waiting for his return.  That design probably played a large part in the breaking of his routine. 

His routine was one of the things that made it easier for Tyler to get out of bed in the morning. It was a warped and twisted coping method, by following a routine it was meant to make it easier for him to re-enter society. Tyler had laughed in the face of the counsellor at the VA, when she had first suggested it to him. He had been right to laugh in the woman’s face; nearly a year later and he still didn’t feel like he had left the war. He may be sat in a coffee shop in Dallas, but Tyler still felt that if he stepped out of those doors he would be stood once more in fatigues in the middle of Afghanistan.

The soft twinkle of a bell brought Tyler back from thoughts of the other side of the world. Standing in the doorway to the coffee shop, stood Jamie. In person he looked even broader than he did in the photograph, his shoulders were wide, filling his T-shirt nicely. Delicate lines of ink ran down his bare arms, and Tyler greedily wanted to examine the tattoos. Even from a distance, he could tell that they were beautifully done and well designed. There were no cupcake eating octopuses, that was for sure. A tickle of envy twisted Tyler’s gut. He wanted to be able to leave his mark and design on that man.  A flicker of recognition crossed Jamie’s face, as he scanned the shop searching for him. Tyler offered a meagre smile in response, noticing the exact moment Jamie’s eyes landed on him.

“Tyler?” Jamie asked, moving to stand on the other side of the table to Tyler. Up close, Tyler could see the tattoos in more detail. The lines were indeed smooth, and effortless against the mans slightly tanned arms.

“Hi, Jamie, right?” Tyler forced himself to offer his hand in greeting; he tried to resist the urge to immediately break the physical contact when Jamie accepted the handshake. If Jamie was offended when he pulled back from the touch quickly, he didn’t show it. Silence blossomed between them as Jamie dropped down onto the stool on the other side of the table. They stared at each other, both waiting for the other to say something.

“This is awkward isn’t it?” Jamie stated first, after the silence filled the air longer than it should.

Tyler huffed out a laugh in response, feeling like a bubble of tension had popped between them, filling the space instead with light-heartedness. Brushing over a stain of ink on his finger with his thumb, Tyler smiled properly at the Apollo of a man in front of him. “Little bit, go on tell me about this charity event?”

Jamie smiled at him then and Tyler thought someone had suddenly shined a flashlight in his face. Jamie’s smile filled the room, and Tyler didn’t ever want to have to turn away from it. If he thought the man in front of him had been attractive before, it was nothing compared to when he smiled. “Well, it’s part of my job, I have to go to them every so often. It’s basically about giving back to the community and stuff like that. The money goes to like scholarships for college tuitions and building new playgrounds around the city.”

“That sounds pretty amazing, and pretty cool that it’s part of your job.” Tyler agreed, feeling slightly inadequate in comparison. “So what is it that you actually do?”

The smile remained on Jamie’s face in reaction to the question, but it lost some of its previous shine, and did nothing to hide the confusion on his face. The silence returned for a moment, and Tyler swore he could feel the tension bubbling back around them. “I’m the captain of the Dallas Stars.”

Tyler dropped his head into his hands, looking at Jamie through the gaps in his fingers. Embarrassment filled his chest, and he didn’t know who was sporting a brighter blush. Beneath his hands, he knew that his cheeks had turned crimson; Jamie was sat staring at him, his cheeks tinged with pink.

“Not a fan of hockey I’m guessing?” Jamie laughed nervously, as Tyler groaned at his own embarrassment.

Giving up on hiding behind his hands, Tyler bashfully replied, “What kind of good Canadian boy would I be if I didn’t like hockey. Haven’t really had time to pay attention to the game for the last couple of years.”

Jamie giggled once again, the sound no longer appearing to be forced or nervous. “How long you been here in Dallas then?”

Gripping onto the cold cup of coffee that was still sat in front of him, Tyler stared into the milky contents. “Been here for about six months now.” Anxiety prickled underneath his skin, he could feel the uncomfortable topic edging closer and closer to discussion. Tyler didn’t like having that conversation with people he was close to, let alone talking about it with a complete stranger.

“Sounds like a story there,” Tyler nodded at Jamie’s words, staring deliberately at the coffee. The amount of milk he had poured in made the colour reminiscent of the colour of sand, and that was a thought that he didn’t need at that exact moment of time. Having sensed the need for a change in topic, Tyler’s eyes shot up at the sound of the stool scraping against the floor.

“Do you want a fresh cup?” Jamie smiled easily down at him, warming Tyler up inside. Tyler felt like the smile was contagious, as slowly his lip curled upwards also.

“That would be really nice.”

“Awesome, and then I want to hear about you. Whatever parts you want to tell me.” Tyler could fight the small laugh that escaped as he watched Jamie try to walk over to the counter. As he pushed his stool back in slightly, Jamie caught the edge of the table clumsily, accidently knocking Tyler’s old cup slightly. The loud apologies that ensued caught the attention of other patrons as Tyler shook off the droplets of coffee that spilled over his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am having far too much fun writing these two gods. 
> 
> Prior comment, if anyone knows the names of Rich Peverley's family, it would be helpful for the fic. 
> 
> Also in regards to Pevs, and a tag I had initially used upon tagging this fic. I was watching an interview that he did for Sportsnet the Hometown segment, and a very interesting moment popped up when they were discussing the match in which he had his cardiac arrest. They were asking Jamie about the incident, and the reaction he had towards the memory; regardless of the years that have passed, showed real elements of PTSD; it honestly broke my heart.


	4. Chapter 4

Two empty coffee cups sat in the centre of the table, the hours slipping away around them. They had been there for nearly three hours, and Jamie had no desire to leave any time soon. He found Tyler fascinating; Jamie had found out he was twenty-three and was a tattoo artist. Jamie had been happy to allow Tyler to examine his tattoo’s as soon as they talked about his job. Tyler had shyly admitted that he had wanted to have a proper look at the designs etching up Jamie’s arm’s as soon as he’d seen them.

Jamie had been true to his words, he could tell that Tyler wasn’t willing to talk about all aspects of his life, and thus changed the topic as soon as he noticed Tyler growing uncomfortable. He had moved away from topics of why Tyler had left Canada, and what he did before becoming a tattoo artist. Tyler had been eager to know more about his own job as well, leaving Jamie blushing as he eagerly enthused about his team.

“It sounds awesome, I feel like I should actually start to watch some games when there on TV.” Tyler smiled down at his empty coffee cup, fingers slowly tapping at the handle. Jamie felt his cheeks heat up when the smile was raised and directed at him.

“I could get you tickets.” Jamie proclaimed loudly, wincing slightly as the sound reverberated slightly in the quiet shop. Lowering his voice, he continued, “Sorry, I mean we are always allowed a couple of tickets to home games if we wanted them. It’s better than watching it on TV, the atmosphere and everything, and I’m going to stop rambling on now.”

Jamie swore his face was bright red, and eternally thanked his own logic not to wear anything brightly coloured today. He was not a vain man by any standards, but he could quite easily imagine how he would look with his blushing cheeks if he was wearing anything Dallas green. Over the course of the afternoon, Jamie couldn’t help but notice how Tyler’s smiles seemed to soften with the passing time.

“You don’t have to do that,” Tyler shifted in his seat, smiling sweetly.

“It would make up for me dragging you to a boring, uptight charity event.” Jamie grinned, at the eyeroll he received in reply. They had spent a long time chuckling at the apparently mutual hatred of formal parties and events. Jamie had listened eagerly when Tyler had gone into great detail the hell that he’d experienced at a dinner party he’d been dragged to as a teenager.

_“I mean, I don’t understand why we needed five different forks. They even gave you a fork for the dessert, which was fucking ice cream!”_

 

The summer sun had slowly begun sinking down the horizon, colouring the cloudless sky pink and orange by the time Jamie and Tyler finally walked out the coffee shops doors. Jamie felt at ease in that moment, he knew that the charity event tomorrow would be so much more bearable than those that had come before. The conversations he had with Tyler slipped by easily; the only other person he was really able to communicate that well with was his brother. It made his chest feel light, as he climbed into his car Jamie watched as Tyler began to walk away from the car park, heading towards a bus stop that was slightly up the road. Pushing the car into gear, Jamie drove out of the car park, before slowing down to a crawling speed.

Pushing the window down, Jamie leant over the centre console. “Do you want a lift?”

Tyler jumped at the noise, swinging around to face the car, his hand rising to his chest as he let out a shuddering breath. “You scared the shit out of me.” Before Jamie could make a joke or apologise, Tyler erupted into a fit of giggles.

“What?”

“It looks like you’re curb-crawling me!” Tyler struggled to say through his laughter. Jamie couldn’t help but join in, realizing now that it did look oddly suspicious for a big SUV to be creeping down the road.

“Get in before we both get arrested,” Jamie laughed, his smile rivalling that of Cheshire Cat’s when Tyler opened the door and pulled himself up into the passenger seat.

“Drive, before the police catch us.” Tyler joked, there were no other cars around them. The street was quiet in the early evening, but that didn’t stop Jamie doing a quick glance over his shoulder just in case. The laughter between the pair only grew louder as they sped away.

 

Jamie made a point to store the address into the car’s sat nav when he dropped Tyler off outside of the family house. The large building had made him frown, wondering if Tyler lived there alone or if he shared it with someone else. He knew from their conversation back at the shop that Tyler’s family was still living in Canada, but he hadn’t thought to ask if he was living with anyone down here or if he was in a relationship or something. The thought of Tyler having a girlfriend or wife waiting for him at home, with a young family waiting for him made Jamie frown. Reversing out of the driveway of the house, Jamie made a mental bullet point to ask Tyler about it the next day. They had agreed that Jamie was going to pick him up before the event tomorrow, and already he was looking forward to slipping into the easy chatter.

The drive home was eventless, Jamie played the afternoon on repeat in his mind every time he stopped at the traffic lights. When he arrived back at his apartment, Jamie pulled into his designated parking space, sighing when he saw Jordie’s car in the next space. Sharing a condo with his brother, meant that he was inevitably going to be subjected to the endless questions at some point. Jamie had just hoped that it wouldn’t be straight away. Bracing himself for the unavoidable, Jamie momentarily debated taking the stairs just to prolong it. The thought didn’t last long, he lived on the 25th floor; climbing up all those steps wasn’t something he was willing to do on a good day let alone on a day where coach had them doing suicide drills. His legs would probably collapse before he even got to the 10th floor.

Jamie barely managed to place a foot over the threshold before his brother came bounding towards him like an energetic puppy. “So you gonna tell me who she is yet?”

Jamie rolled his eyes at Jordie, pushing his brother back so that he could actually close the door behind them. “There isn’t anyone.”

“I’ve known you your entire life, I have seen every single one of your pathetic crushes.” Jordie teased, slinging an arm around his little brothers’ neck. Caught in a headlock, Jamie released a growl as his brother purposefully messed up his hair.

“You’re such a dick,” Jamie whined, elbowing Jordie in the stomach to get him to release his hold.

“You haven’t denied that you have a crush though!” Jordie cooed, dodging the fist that was aimed at his arm. “Temper, Temper.”

Jamie threw his arms up in the air, shaking his head and fighting the small smile that filed his face as he made to walk away from his brother. Walking into the kitchen, Jamie made a big show out of pouring a glass of juice before finally turning back around to face Jordie. Jordie was leaning against the kitchen doorway, watching with a raised eyebrow as he waited for the conversation to continue.

“It’s not a crush. We just hung out.” Jamie whispered, his lips pressed against the rim of his glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to be away until the 26th now. I have not forgotten about this story; I will be gaining lots of inspiration on my trip to Dallas!


	5. Chapter 5

Tyler watched from the front steps as Jamie’s car drove away down the suburban street. Nathalie and Pev’s lived in a gorgeous house in a very middle-class section of the city; they definitely broke the stepford stereotype that was the rest of the neighbourhood. More than once, Tyler received odd looks from others when he walked by; black hoodies, with the hood up in the middle of the day was not a respectful look. It was one of the things that they all joked about on good days, when they would all huddle around the breakfast bar and talk about how Mrs Clair from two doors down was complaining about the rise in delinquents in the area.  She thought Tyler was the delinquent, and she didn’t think much better of Pev’s. It was why, they had agreed that Pev’s should be the one to take the kids to a birthday party at Mrs Clair’s house, just to annoy her.

Watching Jamie’s car turn the corner, Tyler let out the breath that he hadn’t realised he was holding. His chest felt heavy, but in a kind of pleasant way. Normally if he felt heavy, it meant that he was recovering from the aftereffects of a panic attack or a flashback. Today it just felt like something was cuddling his heart instead of squeezing the life out of it. Taking the last few steps up to the front door, Tyler swung the door open being mindful not to let it hit the wall.

“Nathalie!” Tyler shouted, closing the door behind him, glancing to his left to check if she was in the office.

“Upstairs.” Nathalie shouted back in response. Tyler quickly kicked off his shoes before running up the stairs after the voice. The reminder that he needed help set his heart pounding against the happy feeling in his chest, his pulse throbbing at the influx of fear and anxiety that pulsed through him. Taking the stairs two steps at a time, Tyler didn’t stop running until he stood in front of the door to Nathalie and Pev’s bedroom.

Nathalie sat crossed legged on the bed, a psychology textbook resting on the top of her pregnant belly. At the sight of Tyler in the doorway, she placed a bookmark between the pages, and set it aside. “Is it a coffee or a hot chocolate problem?” She smiled at Tyler, knowing that the beverage was an indicator on what was going off in his head.

Tyler pondered on the thought for a moment, tightening his fingers on the cuffs of his hoodie. “Tea?” He mumbled bashfully, refusing to make eye contact for a few moments. He didn’t need to look up to know there was going to be a surprised expression on Nathalie’s face. She was an amazing psychiatrist, and although he wasn’t officially one of her patients, he might as well be. Ever since he had been invited to live with the Peverley’s, she had become just as much a friend to him as Pev was. She may not have seen the war with them first hand, but she had seen it through their words and their post-traumatic stress.

“Tea sounds good,” Nathalie smiled when Tyler finally looked up. He knew what she was thinking; they normally had coffee when he wanted to talk about nightmares or the things that were troubling him. It was hot chocolate when he needed to recover from flashbacks, or when he was struggling to cope. Tea was a new one between them, and Tyler didn’t need to be a genius to point out the link between the new drink and the new person who had pushed his way into Tyler’s life that very morning.

 

The kettle was boiled, and two mugs of black tea sat on the countertop between them. Tyler cradled his mug in his hand, grimacing as he watched Nathalie pour milk into her mug. “Pleb,” he teased her quietly, receiving a finger gesture in retaliation.

“Well this pleb is waiting for you to tell me what you want to tell me.” Nathalie shot in response, making a show of taking a large sip from her mug with an exaggerated slurp. Tyler smirked, taking a sip from his own drink, mimicking her own noise.

“Maybe I just wanted to have a cup of tea with a friend. That sounds very fucking British doesn’t it.” Tyler attempted to joke. Sighing softly at the silence that attempted to settle between them, he continued, “I met someone today.”

Tyler didn’t look away quick enough and saw the surprise flash across Nathalie’s face. He had never talked to her about relationships, past and potential future ones. “He text me, thinking I was someone else. Told him I wasn’t the person he thought, and he asked if I wanted to be his plus one to a charity event. I then went to meet him this afternoon, and he’s really nice and I actually want to talk to him again.”

“But?” Nathalie supplied, sipping daintily at her mug now as she listened attentively.

“But he thought I was a girl to start with. So, nothing’s going to happen on that count. Then there is the charity event, which is tomorrow by the way, and Its going to be all posh and full of rich people who like going to those things.” Tyler rambled, clutching one hand wrapped tightly around his cup. With his other hand he was alternating tapping his fingers against his thumb, back and forth, back and forth. It was a nervous tick he had developed in the months before he was honourably discharged.

“What’s bothering you more about tomorrow? The thought of the crowd, or the idea that they will be judging you?”

Tyler whined in the back of his throat, shaking his fingers out of the twitch before running his hands through his curls. He could feel the slight greasiness of the strands, which really didn’t help towards his though process in that moment. “I don’t know, both? I tried to warn Jamie that I wouldn’t be the most accepted person to take with him, but he didn’t listen. I don’t know how busy it will be, I think that’s freaking me out more. I’m nervous about it being so busy that there are going to be too many things in my personal space.”

The rest of Tyler’s comment went unspoken between them. Having his personal space invaded without his permission was one of the many things that could set him off into a panic. Tyler knew that there was no reason for it do so, it was entirely redundant. There was nothing in his past that should justify why it was now something which set off his trigger, but it was there regardless.

“So how would we work around that?” Nathalie smiled, standing up to grab snacks from the contraband cupboard. Her and Pev’s had a girl and a little boy as well as the bump, Alisia was five whilst Keaton was a mischievous two-year-old. The kids were seldom allowed the junk food which was hidden on the top shelve, meaning that the finger of blame only got shot at the adults when all the candy disappeared.

“As soon as I enter the room, find out the locations of escape routes.” Tyler nodded, accepting the bag of twizzlers which was thrown over to him. Escape routes meant everything from exits, to areas he could hide away in.

Nathalie nodded as she sat back down, tearing into her own bag of the candy. Between bites, she asked curiously referencing his past, “Have you told this guy about it?”

“No, I didn’t need to. Jamie figured out when we met that there were things I wasn’t comfortable talking about. He would change topic if he thought I was getting uncomfortable.” Tyler couldn’t fight the smile that threatened to fill his face, he was slightly taken with the hockey player. He had always been the type to act fast and deal with the consequences later. He didn’t stop to think when he joined the army at eighteen years old, and it was when he was twenty-one when those consequences caught up with him.

“He sounds like he’s a nice guy.” Nathalie felt her motherly instincts swell at the happy look on Tyler’s face. She had claimed him as her own pseudo-son when he first come to stay with them, she had wanted to protect the broken boy that had barely managed to survive a war and was left completely unprepared to survive the real world. “Now you said it was a charity event? Come on, upstairs. We need to find a suit that will fit you in Rich’s clothes.”

“I have a suit.” Tyler frowned, it was one of the few things he had that wasn’t covered in paint.

“You are not wearing a funeral suit. I hope you don’t have to wear that fucking thing ever again.” Nathalie glared, her stare saying that her word was final on that matter. Tyler nodded in response, following her as she rose and waddled out of the kitchen.

 

Nathalie had finally found a suit which would be suitable for Tyler to wear. It was dark blue, and according to Nathalie hadn’t fit Pev’s for years. Tyler accepted the cufflinks that were pushed into his hands, and bit back the complaint when Nathalie promised she would go and buy him a dress shirt first thing in the morning. The suit hung on the back of his bedroom door, Tyler felt like it was judging him as he crawled underneath his duvet at around seven in the evening. He had used up his energy for the day, and couldn’t face the happy or questioning looks that Pev’s might send at him when Nathalie filled him in. Her doctor/patient confidentiality applied with him as well, she wouldn’t tell details about what they discussed, but she had warned Tyler that she was going to tell Pev’s that he was going to an event. She had worded it as a just in case; in case Tyler phoned Pev’s and asked him to come fetch him if things got too bad. Tyler didn’t know how to take the pride that radiated off her, he knew she was happy that he was willing to try to face the challenge of a crowded place, but it still felt uneasy on him.

Tyler didn’t know how long he had been curled up in bed, when his phone buzzed impatiently on the nightstand. He contemplated ignoring the device, he was too comfortable in his position. He knew that if he moved, he would not be able to get back to this stage of ease for another twenty minutes or so. The only reason he moved was because he hope it was Jamie messaging him again. Stretching for his phone, his heart soared as he saw Jamie’s name in the preview. Unlocking it quickly, Tyler frowned as he read the message.

_So, you’re Jamie’s date. He’s infatuated btw. He’s been holding his phone all evening, waiting for your text. Funny to watch! See you tomorrow buddy!_

_Tyler I am so sorry! That was Jordie, he stole me phone when I went to the bathroom._

Tyler couldn’t fight the grin, when the second message came through pretty much immediately after the first one. He could imagine Jamie walking back into the room and seeing his brother holding his phone. Jamie had talked about his brother at the coffee shop and how they played on the Stars together, but Tyler couldn’t quite imagine what he looked like. He knew that he could easily just google it, but he wanted to learn more about Jamie from Jamie.

**_Tell Jordie he’s a douche._ **

_Trust me, Jordie is very well aware he is. I think he embraces it._

**_Tell him to find a different personality trait to embrace then._ **

_What personality?_

**_Haha. So, have you really been sat there waiting for my texts all evening. How sweet ;)_ **

Tyler bit his lip as he pressed send on the slightly flirty text. He didn’t know how well it would go down, and he couldn’t decide if it toed too far past the line of banter. Any worries he had quickly disappeared when his phone once more buzzed in his palm.

_Well if you’d text me sooner, he would have still taken the piss. Apparently, I need to stop smiling as it making him feel sick._

Tyler smiled himself, clutching his phone against his chest instead of messaging back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bold italics - Tyler's texts  
> italics - Jamie's texts
> 
> This story was always alive, just on vacation! Back now, and currently inbetween jobs so who knows maybe that means I will write this more. Hopefully, it means I write more and get a new job soon cause you know bills!
> 
> For reference, this is the Peverleys house in the fic - https://www.homes.com/property/7117-wabash-cir-dallas-tx-75214/id-500018121767/
> 
> Now Highlights is also being updated, the next update has been sent along to my beta reader, so that will be up at some point this weekend.


	6. Chapter 6

 

Jamie somehow managed to resist the urge to punch his brother in the face; Jordie seemed to be on a mission today, trying his hardest to wind up his little brother. After walking out of the bathroom, the night before to see Jordie cackling to himself and tapping away rapidly on Jamie’s phone. Jamie hadn’t even thought anything of it when he’d left his phone sat on the sofa, no one usually cared about his phone. If it had been Klingberg’s phone it would have been a different story; everyone would have crawled over themselves to be the one to read his messages.

Jamie had tackled his brother snatching the phone out of Jordie’s grasps. “Well he’s cute. Not seen you crush on a guy since that kid back on your baseball team when you were like fourteen.” Jordie howled at the distressed expression that covered his younger brothers face. Jamie hastily read the text that Jordie had sent to Tyler; he couldn’t deny that it could have been a lot worse than it actually was. Jordie could have been a lot crueller and could have been extremely crude.

Rapidly tapping out an apology, Jamie snarled, “You’re such a fucking dick.” Jordie didn’t bother replying, instead he just chuckled as he rose up from the sofa. Patting Jamie affectionately on the top of the head, Jordie sidestepped away from the swinging fist that Jamie tried to aim at him. The phone in his hand buzzed signalling a reply and Jamie lost focus on the rest of the world. For a few moments the only thing that existed were the small dots signalling that Tyler was typing on the other side of the conversation.   

“I’m going to bed; your smile is making me feel nauseous.” Jordie called as he walked in front of Jamie. Jamie frowned at the glass of juice that had appeared in his brother’s hand, having not noticed when Jordie had walked out of the living room.  He knew that smile on his face was stupidly large, Jamie wasn’t even going to deny it. Jordie was already walking towards his room when Jamie’s phone buzzed again. His brothers teasing was something that Jamie had always had; it was familiar and hadn’t shifted into malicious bullying since they were kids. He knew that Jordie wasn’t trying to be mean with his comments about Tyler, and he knew that if asked Jordie wouldn’t mention him around the team. Jordie would continue to pretend it was a girl that caught Jamie’s attention around the rest of their teammates. He wouldn’t out Jamie; Jordie wasn’t that mean.

**_Your such a dork! Lol_ **

_Guilty_

_I’ll pick you up at 8 tomorrow._

**_I’ll even brush my hair for you._ **

It was listed as optional skate the next morning, but everyone on the team knew from the anger in Coach Ruff’s voice the day before that the word ‘optional’ meant the complete opposite. Coach wasn’t stupid, he knew that tonight his players were going to cut loose a little, and drink more than they probably should. Jamie was exhausted by the time he got back to his apartment at midday. He had sent Tyler a picture of himself all tired eyes and sweaty after practise, complete with a message saying, ‘ _I promise I won’t smell this bad when I come get you!_ ’

**_I can smell you through the phone! Go shower!_ **

Jamie had watched Jordie resist the urge to comment as he walked with a small spring in his step that he knew the rest of their teammates had seen. His phone was wrapped up in a towel and went with him to the showers. Jamie wasn’t risking his nosey teammates deciding they wanted to have a snoop. He had seen the interest in his friends faces, and he had seen Sharpy raised eyebrows when he had taken the selfie in his stall. Hockey players were the biggest gossips, and Jamie was the centre of the current topic.

Jordie had been in a less dickish mood that morning and had promised Jamie on the drive to the rink that he wasn’t going to do anything that would make the team question who Tyler was. He had pulled Jamie into a hug before they got out the car, slapping Jamie on the back as he smiled, “I promise to be on my best behaviour.”

“It’s not like that, I literally only met him yesterday.” Jamie had pointed out, rolling his eyes at the shrugged shoulders he got in response. Jordie knew him too well. Jamie couldn’t deny that he fancied Tyler; he didn’t know him but there was something there that attracted Jamie to him, and it wasn’t just the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous. He really wanted to be able to find out more about the man, find out more about what he liked and disliked. He wanted to be able to find out Tyler’s favourite food and Jamie wanted to learn about the things that had made Tyler close up slightly. Their time at the coffee shop yesterday had been a taster, and Jamie wanted more.

The anticipation of the night ahead tested Jamie’s ability to fall asleep, leaving him tossing and turning for longer than he would have liked before his afternoon nap. For the first time ever, he was excited at the thought of going to one of the charity events; his usual hatred for the events disappeared at the thought of attending one with Tyler by his side. He knew from the conversations yesterday that Tyler disliked the notion of formal parties just as much, but Jamie fantasied about the fun that they could come up with attending together. He would have someone who he could sit and joke with instead of being the third wheel to another couple. Jamie was also one of the only ones on the team who seemed to have a disliking for them; over the years he’d had a wide selection of his current and former teammates try to convince him that they were actually fun but so far none of them had succeeded in changing his mind.

After struggling to fall asleep, Jamie felt like he had barely had his eyes closed for a minute before the alarm rang out in the dark room. Groaning into his pillow, Jamie considered trying to fall back asleep to get thirty more minutes sleep. It wasn’t like he needed a mountain of time to primp for tonight, his suit was hung up ready and all he really had to sort was his hair. He could do with another shower though, just in case any lingering smells from practise remained. Kicking his duvet off the bottom of the bed, Jamie rolled over to check for any notifications on his phone.

**_Last chance before it’s too late, you sure you want me to go?_ **

_Yes I want you to come with me! I want to get to know you more._

Jamie shook his head with a small affectionate smile, he couldn’t understand why Tyler thought so little of himself. For someone so attractive, it surprised Jamie how insecure Tyler came across. Placing his phone back onto the bedside table, Jamie shuffled out of the boxers he wore to bed before walking into his en-suite bathroom.

 

Jamie quickly checked his appearance in the rear-view mirror as he pulled up in front of the house that he’d dropped Tyler off at the previous day. The lights in the house were on and from the road Jamie could see a family of four through the ground floor window. It seemed that they were waiting for a car to pull up outside, as the woman turned away from the window, leaning out of view. Not even a minute later the front door opened, Tyler stepping out into the warm evening air. Jamie felt his jaw drop, he thought Tyler looked amazing dressed in a baggy hoodie and skinny jeans, nothing prepared him for this new visual. A tailored dark blue suit contrasted nicely with a pale blue shirt, complete with dark brown dress shoes. The entire ensemble worked amazingly well, making Tyler look like a business man instead of a tattoo artist.

Jamie had just managed to close his mouth when Tyler opened the passenger door to the car and slid into the front seat. Jamie inhaled the floral smell of the cologne that Tyler was wearing, receiving a panicked look in reaction.

“Shit, do I smell?” Tyler asked wide eyed, panic had him reaching back for the door handle.

“You smell amazing, what is it?” Jamie resisted the urge to take another deep breath just to capture more of the perfume. He watched as Tyler visible relaxed, releasing his grip on the door handle. Jamie waited until Tyler was buckled in before he began to pull away.

“I don’t know, it comes in a black bottle. Nat got it me for my birthday.”

Jamie saw the chance to ask about the family who had been watching from the window, and also saw the opportunity to ask Tyler if he was single. The large house was still an area of confusion in the enigma that was Tyler. “Nat?”

“Nathalie, her and Pevs were who you saw being nosey as fuck from the window. I swear they’ve been stood there for like half an hour.” Tyler sounded so affectionate when he was talking about them, it made Jamie feel irrationally jealous.

“Is it a poly relationship or something?” Jamie asked curiously, frowning at the bark of laughter that he got in response.

“Poly relationship? Oh my god! No. No. Just no! Aww Jamie, that’s killed me.” Tyler cried. From the corner of his eye, Jamie could see Tyler wiping at his eyes as his entire body shook with giggles. The houses on either side of the road were getting smaller, and closer together as they drove closer to the city. The Stars had organised the charity event at a Hilton hotel in Uptown, and Jamie followed the directions that the inbuilt satnav provided.

“What about you then, you in a poly relationship you want to tell me about? Or is this you asking if I want to be number three in your relationship?” Tyler grinned mischievously from the other side of the car.

“I’m single.” Jamie mumbled, cheeks still burning pink. The satnav had put him onto the highway, allowing Jamie to relax into his seat a little more knowing that he didn’t have to worry about any further directions for a few minutes. Just keep driving straight until you get to the right exit.

“Me too.” Jamie turned around to flash a big smile at Tyler’s answer before diverting his attention back to the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bold italic - Tyler's texts  
> italic - Jamie's texts
> 
> These two are just so stupidly sweet on eachother. Crush at first sight.


	7. Chapter 7

Tyler had faced a lot of things in life. He had seen war, and more recently he had been forced to look at the horrible designs that people wanted to get tattooed onto their bodies. Neither of those prepared him for the gaggle of reporters and cameras that seemed towards him and Jamie when they stepped through the doors of the Hilton. There seemed to be so many people suddenly flocked around them, and Tyler could count at least three film-cameras. His personal space was being pushed at and intruded upon, making his breath catch in his chest. The door was only five steps back and Tyler contemplated turning around and running out of the room.

A hand slapping down on his shoulder grounded Tyler more than he thought it ever would. Tyler glanced over his shoulder at the hand, his eyes following the length of the arm up until he stared up at Jamie’s face. The smile on his face was obviously the professional one, but there was still the tint of the real smile hiding there. Looking around him, Tyler realized there wasn’t as many people surrounding them as he had initially thought. It was as if his mind had messed with the reality, doubling the number of people who had been around them.

Taking a shaky breath, Tyler faked a smile, covering the panic that had filled his eyes. Jamie’s hand was still on his shoulder as he smiled and answered questions to a woman in front of him. Only a few more questions were posed before Jamie was finally able to steer Tyler away from the door and towards an emptier section of the room. Tyler could see the moment the captain façade drop away, changing Jamie back into the dorky guy who’d spilled coffee over in his own enthusiasm.

“You okay?” Tyler shivered as Jamie’s hand finally dropped away from his shoulder. The concern and confusion in his eyes shone bright in the darkened room.

“I struggle in crowds,” Tyler admitted quietly. It was near enough the truth; he did struggle in crowds, but it wasn’t just having too many people around, it was the idea that anyone of those people could be from the other side and were preparing to pull a gun. Pev’s had told him countless times over the last few months, that part of him was here at home, but the other part was still back there.

“Are you okay though? Do you want me to drive you home or something?” Jamie worried.

“I’ll let you know if I need to.” Tyler promised and he meant it. “Do you want me to go get us a drink?”

“Wait here, I’ll go get us one. Anything in particular?” Tyler shook his head with a smile. He stood in the corner of the room watching as Jamie worked his way through the crowd, occasionally stopping to greet people as he made his way to the bar. Tyler was still stood staring after Jamie when a voice sounded from beside him, making him jolt.

“Hi, I’m Jordie. The better Benn brother.” Tyler could see the resemblance, accepting the hand that was outstretched. He could see elements of Jamie in Jordie, the big difference between them was the auburn beard that filled Jordie’s face much more than the dark goatee on Jamie’s. “And you must be Tyler.”

“You read our messages.” Tyler stated as a matter of fact, frowning slightly at the shrug he received in response.

“You have to admit those first messages when Chubs was convinced that you were someone else are hilarious.” Jordie laughed, “Don’t worry I’ve already promised that I won’t tell anyone.”

Tyler couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped, “Guess it is kinda funny. I was so annoyed when he first messaged.”

“He may have been given the wrong number, but I guess it’s worked out for him.” Jordie smirked in a manner which was all too knowing. It was as if he was seeing straight through the fractured outer shell and was looking straight into Tyler’s thoughts. Before Tyler could even being to stutter out a response, Jordie glanced backwards towards the bar. His smile widened when he saw Jamie walking towards them on the other side of the room. “Now, little insider knowledge. His nickname is Chubs, if you want to wind him up call it him.”

“Chubs?” Tyler inquired curiously, a single eyebrow raising at the possible meaning behind that specific nickname.

“Get your mind out the gutter. It’s not about that! He was chubby as a kid, he may be a brick wall now, but the nicknames still stuck.” Jordie explained, a huge smile filled his face as he watched Jamie step closer and closer. Loudly he proclaimed when Jamie was within earshot, “Well it was nice meeting you Tyler, hopefully we get to meet again at some point.”

Tyler accepted the whiskey tumbler that was handed to him with a mumbled thank you. Jamie crowded in next to him being careful not to touch him. Tyler smiled around the rim of his glass gratefully, the whiskey was fine and Tyler could taste the expensive in it. “I hope my brother wasn’t being too much of a dick,” Jamie glared affectionally across the room as Jordie waved at him.

“I think he was pretending to be on his best behaviour.”

“So he was only being a ninety percent douche?” Jamie joked.

 

The charity event kept going for hours, with every hour that passed Tyler crept closer and closer to the end of his tether. After the first hour where Jamie and Tyler had been allowed to stay chatting hidden in the corner of the room, a stressed and disgruntled woman had appeared in front of them glaring daggers at Jamie. She had dragged Jamie off demanding him to do the mingling which he was meant to be doing, and not acting like a wallflower. Tyler had guessed she was someone in PR, his speculation being confirmed almost instantly when Jordie appeared once more by his side with the comment, “I don’t know what Chrissy hates more, having to deal with Jamie talking to people at these things, or having to run around dragging Jamie out of hiding spots.”

Jamie had returned to him after only twenty minutes, walking over in the middle of Jordie revealing embarrassing memories to Tyler. The smug look on Jamie’s face, told them all that Jamie had deliberately done something to wind up the Stars PR manager, Chrissy.  

“So I hope you got something to eat before we came, its only appetizers that get served at these things, and trust me when I sat they ain’t worth eating. But the bar is free, so that’s always a bonus.” Jamie explained, elbowing Jordie out of the way so that he could sidle to Tyler’s side.

“After the first hour its usually acceptable for one of us to fall over drunk, makes Chrissy’s job more interesting for her.” Jordie continued, pointing over at one of the guys near the bar wobbling from side to side. “Looks like Cody is going to be the first to fall this year.”

Tyler watched as the guy pointed out as Cody sways intensified; the swaying didn’t stop him from raising his drink, the liquid sloshing over his hand and onto the floor.

“This event is the simplest of them, its basically the rich come and see and hear about all the great things we do with the foundation and sign checks so we can go and give more back to the community.” Jamie explained, the loudness of the room had him leaning closer to Tyler’s ear.

Jordie looked between the two of them with a devilish mischief, shouting over the noise instead of leaning that close. “Be thankful it isn’t the auction event, that’s fucking the worst! Casino night is fun though, but this one can’t count for shit. He gets made into a server instead.”

 

Eventually Jordie wondered off after Jamie had realised that his brother had actually gone stag even after all the shit he’d given in the dressing room the day before. Tyler allowed himself to be led towards the little mini exhibit that had been set up to showcase the stuff that the Stars Foundation had done. Looking at the pictures hung on the walls, Tyler couldn’t fight the smile as he stared at a photo of Jamie surrounded by kids on a rink. The note by the picture explaining that the Captain had opened up a local rink funded by the foundation and had provided the kids with hockey equipment.

Despite Jamie being a second shadow, the crowd of people in the room kept growing. The room was warm and stifling even with the air con swirling around. Every time someone brushed past him, left Tyler flinching. Outside was no better, the room opened onto a large balcony which showed off the city skyline. Unfortunately, outside was even more busy than the room, everyone wanting to snap pictures of themselves standing in front of the lights of the city. The noise was immense, the happy chatter of everyone merging together into a deafening muddle which filled Tyler’s mind with memories of shouting. He sometimes thought the noise on a bus was too much, but to be in a room like this with this many people all trying to talk over each other was a different experience.

Tyler already felt like he was sweating in his suit, not from the heat of the room or the press of the crowd. The terror was building inside of him, fighting against the mask he put on his face to keep Jamie oblivious. Two booming taps silenced the room, Tyler’s glass slipped from his hands at the first noise. The second had him clutching onto Jamie’s arms as his mask fell away, the panic and terror now covering his face. Tyler’s knuckles were white as Jamie reached out to hold onto his arms also. Jamie’s hands were firm on his forearms holding Tyler’s weight upright, stopping him from ducking for cover. The taps had been someone checking that a microphone was working, and the inhabitants of the room were all focused on the person on the stage. No one was watching the man holding onto the Captain for dear life.

“Come on, lets go.” Jamie soothed, not willing to let completely let go but releasing one of Tyler’s arms. Tyler nodded, his eyes still rocketing around the room searching for hidden enemies. He loosened his grip on Jamie’s sleeves; as soon as he was no longer white-knuckling the fabric, Jamie caught one of Tyler’s hands in his and began to pull him towards a nearby door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get used to this! Three chapters in three days, this is honestly unheard of for me!


	8. Chapter 8

Tyler had been eighteen when he joined the army. Fresh out of high school, and with the rest of his life ahead of him. He wanted to see the world, and he wanted to help it. Two years later and the rose-coloured glasses that he’d seen the world through when he was eighteen, had long since faded.  Now he was left with the bleak reality of what the world was.

He was on the other side of the world to his family; his sisters being replaced by a band of brothers who knew each other like the back of their hands. Summer days went by under the blistering sun, a dry heat that swirled with the sand. Tyler spend his days dressed in fatigues, with his rifle in his hands. His down time he spent bent over a sketchbook or crossing off the days until his deployment was over. Tyler spent the next six months slowly breaking as the heat, the sand, and the death worked to destroy him inside before the reality of war got the chance to kill him. He was twenty-one years old when his world shattered around him, when out of his squad of eleven brothers, three came home.

Now he was twenty-two and being pulled into an expensive car by a famous hockey player. A hockey player who had seen the moment that Tyler had panicked thinking he’d heard a gunshot. Jamie was a solid presence by his side as Tyler was pulled from the crowded room and dragged down corridors until they reached the stairs. When they’d finally gotten to the parking garage, Tyler had a vague handle on his breathing; no longer on the verge of having a major panic attack. He still felt like his heart was trying to break free of his chest, and although he was no longer breathing raggedly, his lungs still pounded against his ribs.

Collapsing down into the passenger seat in Jamie’s car, Tyler relaxed into the softness as Jamie roared the engine to life. Tyler watched the streetlights pass by as Jamie sped out of the underground garage and started back down the highway. Tyler didn’t know where they were heading, if Jamie was driving him back to The Peverley’s house, or if they were going somewhere else. The night sky was black, headlights and streetlights leaving an orange glow as they kept moving through the city. Tyler leant his head against the window, watching the world move around them.

Jamie was silent, he hadn’t said a word since he’d pulled Tyler from the room. Tyler didn’t want to think about what sort of trouble that he’d caused for Jamie that night. He didn’t know if Jamie still had commitments which he’d ran out on because Tyler freaked out. He began to speak, his breath creating small condensation circles on the window, “Sorry-”

“You don’t need to apologise. Never apologise for stuff like this,” Jamie cut off, despite driving on the highway he turned to consider Tyler for a moment longer than Tyler was comfortable with.

“Eyes on the road.” Jamie smiled as he did what he was told, the car hadn’t even shifted in between he lanes. Tyler watched silently as Jamie flicked the indicator and took an exit. It wasn’t the exit that Tyler knew would take him back home, so he watched the streets pass as Jamie continued towards the destination he had in mind. Tyler smiled to himself as he saw where they were heading; he let his head drop against the back of the seat, his chin nearly resting on his shoulder as he turned his attention to Jamie instead. Jamie’s car slowed to a stop in a McDonald’s car park; the white light of the fast food place brightening the night like a beacon. The smell of heavenly greasiness filled the air; the smell strong and salivating even through the air vents.

“This is a secret,” Jamie winked as he jumped from the car. Tyler felt his insides melt at the sight of that cheeky wink, knowing it would fuel his fantasies for months, as he joined him in getting out of the car. Outside the smell was even more inviting, luring them into the empty diner.

“My lips are sealed as long as there’s a cheeseburger and a McFlurry involved.” Tyler replied; he could honestly eat everything if given the opportunity. McDonalds was one of those things you crave when you’re surviving on ration packs or living on the food served in the army canteen.

“Only that? Didn’t realize you were so cheap.” Tyler faked an overexaggerated expression of shock at Jamie, perching delicately on one of the stools at a bar style table. They looked ridiculous in fancy suits and slicked hair, and that made Tyler love it so much.

“You have no idea how cheap I am.” Tyler purred, fighting the amusement that dredged away any remaining anxiety at the flush that filled Jamie’s cheeks.

They sat in the McDonalds, stealing food off each other’s trays. Jamie didn’t ask what happened at the event, and Tyler didn’t provide any explanations. The story hung around them, but both of them fought against the topic of conversation, and instead they talked about silly things. Tyler talked about the stupid designs that he’d been commissioned to do, and then chatted with more enthusiasm about the little flash designs of watercolour feathers that he was drawing up. Jamie explained what really happened in every single one of the embarrassing stories that Jordie had told Tyler earlier that evening. Tyler snorted Coke out of his nose when Jamie had loudly shouted in response to one of the stories which Jordie had told, “The lying bastard”, before explaining that it was actually Jordie who did it not him.  

It was past one in the morning when Tyler reluctantly suggested calling it a night, after they both had slipped into yawning every few minutes. Jamie agreed with a pout which made Tyler giggle around the straw of his drink. Rising from his seat, he jogged over to the till leaving Jamie staring after him in confusion. Tyler returned quickly, pushing a cup of coffee into Jamie’s hand. “Can’t have you falling asleep at the wheel Chubs.” It was the first time that Tyler had used the nickname which Jordie had told him about. Looking up at Jamie’s face he knew instantly it was the best thing he ever did.

Jamie looked a mix between embarrassed and constipated, a low whine in his throat as he complained, “I fucking hate Jordie.”

 

Tyler almost felt like the next few days were back to reality. He’d been dropped off back his house in the early hours of the morning, a genuine smile on his face as he said goodbye to Jamie. He wasn’t surprised to see that the lights were still on and had been met with a series of questions from both Nat and Pev’s as soon as he crossed the threshold. The Stars were heading off the next afternoon on a series of away games, meaning that he had no chance to see Jamie again for at least a week. He didn’t know if they were going to meet again for certain, other than promised words from Jamie saying that he’d call as soon as he was back in town and they’d hang out then.  Tyler briefly feared the morning after that it would be the last he’d see of the man who had pushed his way into his life; his fear disappearing quickly when he saw the little green light on his phone flashing.

_Jordie is still howling at telling you the nickname. Murder may happen._

**_You can’t kill him, someone might notice he’s missing. Besides he might be the better Benn brother._ **

_Yhp defo killing him now. I want to be your favourite!_

Tyler could perfectly imagine the whine in Jamie’s texts. In his mind he could hear the words being spoken and see the pout that would be on Jamie’s lips as he typed out the message. It made Tyler giggle uncontrollably into his pillow as he hugged the phone to his chest. Tapping off of his texts with Jamie, Tyler spied another message in his inbox. Opening the text, he rolled his eyes with a smile.

**_ Dude get snapchat! Add me JordieB24  BTW well done for calling him Chubs! _ **

_I’m not getting snapchat_

**_ But I can send you stupid pictures of Jamie! _ **

Tyler couldn’t deny that was a worthy reason as he downloaded the app from the store. Almost immediately after he’d set up a username and added Jordie as a friend he received a picture of Jamie. The photo was taken in what looked to be the brother’s apartment, and featured Jamie sat crossed legged on the sofa in a pair of workout shorts, and nothing else. Text across the photo read, ‘He won’t shut up about your McDonalds date. Douche didn’t bring me a burger back!’

Tyler pressed his hand against his camera, blacking out the screen. Taking a photo of the blackness, he added his reply. ‘Be nicer and we might bring you one back next time.’

He got a close-up photo of Jamie’s face in response; Jamie was grinning at his phone as he tapped on it. Jordie had drawn little red love hearts around his head, ‘Love is in the air.’

Sure enough, Tyler’s phone buzzed again in his phone, the preview showing Jamie’s name.

_I want to see all the designs that you were complaining about last night. I don’t quite believe an octopus eating a cupcake is a thing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> italics - Tyler's texts  
> bold italics - Jamie's texts  
> bold underlined - Jordie's texts. 
> 
> Yes that is going to get confusing! Jordie is not going to be texting regularly though.


	9. Chapter 9

Jamie scrolled back through the hundreds of messages that he’d shared with Tyler since they’d first met. He was sat on the team’s jet after a series of away games, his teammates shouted around him as they played card games, ate mountains of snacks, or caught up on much needed sleep. Jamie didn’t understand how Spezza could sleep with the noise around them, but he somehow managed to. Tyler had become a constant in his life and nothing filled Jamie’s heart more when he walked back into the locker room after a game to see a message waiting for him on his phone. Jamie knew Tyler must have started watching his games, the texts came through almost immediately after he stepped off the ice after the handshake line.  They ranged from praising his play and calling bullshit on plays and penalties.

_Gorgeous goal. Lightnings don’t look happy._

_2 Goals!!!!_

_2 Goals again! You need to get 3 next time!_

_Bullshit call on Demers. The other dude skated into his elbow. Bullshit!_

Jamie found himself looking forward to the commentary message he’d receive at the end of each game. It felt like every message cheered him on for the next game; he wanted to win knowing that Tyler was watching. Four games, and four wins; Jamie felt like he was flying.

His messages with Tyler weren’t solely focused on hockey. Jamie had found out on the second day of the week long trip that Jordie had kept up a running commentary and had been snapchatting photos of Jamie to Tyler.

**_I’m jealous, Jordie gets photos and I don’t :(_ **

Jamie had received a selfie in response, Tyler looking at the camera with a cheeky grin and a middle finger stuck up.

_Now now, if you wanted pics you just had to ask._

**_Any kind of pic?_ **

_If it makes you feel better Chubs, Jordie sent the pics of you, I send him back pics of the wall._

**_Still the best Benn._ **

_Uh huh, sure you are. I wonder if Jordie falls over his own skates as well. He sent the video of you tripping over your own skates in the locker room btw lol!_

Jamie was unbelievably happy as he scrolled through his old messages. He joked that he was jealous, but it made him happy that Jordie approved. Jordie and Tyler being friends, made Jamie comfortable that if something was to happen, his family would approve. Jordie had continued his merciless teasing, always rolling his eyes when he saw the familiar affectionate smile that filled Jamie’s face whenever he received a new text. The team had noticed the change in Jamie, all of them eager to discover what was making their captain so happy and keeping him glued to his phone.

Jamie was glad that he was allocated his own hotel room; it allowed him the luxury of being able to stay up late into the night sending back and forth messages. Tyler either didn’t seem to mind the late hour, or he was just as eager to talk. Jamie loved the occasional pictures that they shared, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit that he’d saved all of them to his phone. From Tyler he received photos of his sketchbook pages, and half empty coffee cups. If he as lucky, he’d receive silly selfies; they were Jamie’s favourite to receive. Jamie sent random pictures of the team, photos of whatever city they were in on that day and the smile on his sweaty face straight after winning each game.

 

The plane was waiting to depart, sat in traffic heading to the runway. A delay had set all outgoing flights back, leaving the team to sit in boredom as they waiting for permission for take-off. A thought popped into Jamie’s mind as he attempted to stretch his legs out in front of him. The next game was a home-game tomorrow, and every player was always allocated several seats for games. Taking his phone off Airplane mode, Jamie smiled at his phone.

_Have a safe flight._

**_You got any plans tomorrow evening? Wondered if you would like to come watch the game._ **

Jamie tapped his foot impatiently, twirling his phone in his hand hoping Tyler would respond before he had to put the airplane mode back on. He wanted to be able to call Chrissy before take-off to make sure everything was in place and ready; it would save him being irritable for the three-hour flight and being unable to arrange anything.  

_I’m sorry I can’t tomorrow. Another time, promise._

**_No worries, just let me know what days you’d like to come to a game and I will sort it for you._ **

Jamie pouted, his disappointment sinking his happy mood like an anchor. He tried to think positively, at least he wouldn’t have wasted three hours making a mental plan, and Tyler had said he promised he would come to a game at some point.  He would have to take the idea that in the hopefully near future he would be able to have Tyler in the arena watching the game properly. Jamie could imagine it; he’d have Tyler sat in either a box or front row. He’d bring him back to the locker room after they’d won and then give Tyler the option of joining the team in a trip to the bar, or they’d hang out just the two of them.

An announcement from the pilot signalled they were the next in the queue. When Jamie made to turn his phone off once more, he felt it buzz in his hand.

_Is it weird to say I’ve missed you._

**_Not weird at all. I’ve missed you too._ **

****

Jamie hadn’t been able to find anytime in his schedule to meet Tyler. When the plane landed back in Dallas, it was already mid-afternoon and Jamie was due at brand meetings for the rest of the day. He sent a quick message on the drive from the airport to the arena letting Tyler know that he’d survived the flight. Jamie spent so long staring at the photo he got in response that he failed to notice when the traffic lights went green. The beep of a horn broke his attention away from the selfie that Tyler had taken; his arm was stretched out in front of him, whilst his upper body was sprawled over the top of a desk. That picture stayed on his mind as he sat through meeting after meeting.

The next day was Game Day for the Stars. Practise in the morning, followed by a nutritionist approved meal and naptime. A bowl of pasta, and a drive back to the rink left Jamie with only a few opportunities to check his phone and reply to Tyler’s messages. Jordie was driving them to the arena, leaving Jamie the chance to tap out a quick text.

**_Hope you have a good night :)_ **

_You best win it for me tonight Chubs!_

“Tyler.” Jordie stated, making Jamie attempt to control the wide grin on his face. His brother had said it as a statement rather than a question, but Jamie still nodded in response.

“Apparently we have to win it for him tonight because he can’t watch it.” Jamie explained, locking his phone as he pocketed it. The lock on his phone was a new thing, put in place after Sharpy had managed to sneak it out of Jamie’s sight one day. Jamie had managed to grab it back, just as Sharpy loudly proclaimed he was going to find out who the ‘girl’ was.

“Of course he did,” Jordie snorted, spinning the wheel around as they pulled into the carpark at the arena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> italics - Tyler's texts  
> bold italics - Jamie's texts
> 
> So I finished this update earlier than I wanted, just because I think the next part will be better read in Tyler's perspective. I am so eager for the next part, I think its pure brilliance and overwhelmingly cute.


	10. Chapter 10

 

Tyler wanted to pretend that his life went back to normal after meeting Jamie, but he didn’t want to lie to himself. His world had been spun on its axel, and Jamie was the new sun in his life. In a week, Tyler had smiled more than he had in an entire year. His happiness had been noted by Nat and Pevs’; his friends teasing him whenever they saw him dig his phone out of his pocket. He felt happier than he’d felt for years, and his mood improved with every new message.

His days were filled with tattoos, and Tyler spent his evenings curled up on the sofa in the family room watching the Dallas Stars games. Nat and Pev’s joined him, the three of them shouting quietly at the TV, mindful of the children sleeping upstairs. Tyler was watching the Stars game against Pittsburgh Penguins, the Peverley’s eldest child Alisia was cuddled up next to him. The little girl had been allowed to stay up late and had crawled onto Uncle Tyler’s lap demanding to watch the hockey with him.

Bowls of popcorn, and bottles of cola littered the coffee table in front of them; Nat had reluctantly dragged the microwave popcorn from the contraband cupboard much to Alisia’s delight. Tyler had felt his heart melt at the wide-eyed delight that filled the little girl’s eyes. Tyler had worried about the game being too violent for the five-year-old, the game against Philadelphia the day before had been a fight from start to finish, and he didn’t know how Alisia would react to such violence. His worry was needless; Alisia cheered more than all of them whenever someone got hit.

During a commercial break in the second period, Tyler frowned when Nat muted the TV.  She wringed her hands nervously, a strange occurrence for her. “So we’ve been offered four tickets for the next home game, it’s one of the Player’s Initiatives.” Nat announced.

“We wondered if you’d feel comfortable coming with us. It would be us, and Alisia. It will be too late for Keaton, so we were planning on getting a babysitter.” Pev’s continued. Tyler could feel both his friends watching his reaction.

Tyler contemplated his answer, he would love to have the experience of being at a game, but the thought of the crowds and the noise being directly in his ears was a plaguing thought. He knew how big the crowds were, from when the cameras panned around the arena, and that was something which deeply unsettled him. The logical part of his brain reminded hit hat there was no way anyone could get a weapon through the security measures in place at the front doors; Tyler also knew that if there was a will there was a way, and a gun in that sort of environment would be carnage.

“We could sit so that you were between us. It would only be us touching you from the side.” Pev’s offered, just as Nat threw a small box over to him. Catching the box in his hand, Tyler fought a smile as he looked at it.

“Won’t block everything out, but it will definitely help.” Nat explained. The Noise-Cancelling Earbuds were even bright green, and Tyler could tell from the devilish smile on his friends face that they’d already found an answer to any excuses that Tyler could even give.

“You’re not going to let me say no, are you?” Tyler laughed, clutching the earbud box tightly.

“If it gets too much we will leave straight away, but I think this will be really good for you.” Pev’s smiled. Tyler nodded at his friends’ words; he knew that if he asked to leave that would be it. Tyler had never been able to tell the Peverley’s just how much he appreciated everything they had done for him. He had also never been able to find how to ask Pev’s how he’d been able to pick up the pieces of his life again, whilst Tyler felt like his life was constantly slipping threw his fingers.

“Ok.” Tyler agreed, smiling at the sigh that escaped from Nat. “What about that Lissy, does going to see a real game sound fun?” Tyler cooed, grinning at the enthusiasm that erupted from Alisia. It wouldn’t be his fight trying to get her to settle for bed, so he shot a smug smirk over at Nat.

 

Along with the tickets, they would be given a tour of the facilities, and would get to head down to the locker room just before Warm-up. Tyler had spent an hour in the studio the next morning researching the Initiative that had supplied the tickets. John’s G.I.s, was an initiative that had been set up by own of the Star’s Defensemen, and tickets were given to a military family every home game. Tyler didn’t know if the Peverley’s had applied or if it was a random thing given out, and he didn’t want to ask. 

Upon learning that they would be invited into the locker room prior to Warm up, Tyler had decided to keep his appearance at the game a secret from Jamie. His plan was cemented into place, when he received the text from Jamie inviting him to the home game. He thought it was an ingenious way to surprise the Captain, even if it would lead to questions which Tyler didn’t really want to answer.  Hundreds of scenarios ran through his mind throughout the day, imagining Jamie’s reaction; he’d look up from lacing his skates, and Tyler would be standing directly in front of him. Tyler couldn’t decide if Jamie would trip over in his enthusiasm to stand up, or if he’d stay sat down and just smile so brightly that it lit up the room.

He had a small break in between appointments today, so Tyler picked up his favourite mechanical pencil and started scratching the graphite against a fresh page in his personal sketchbook. Before long he had a portrait filling the page; after a few minutes of drawing stars at the start Tyler had fished his phone from his pocket. Opening his gallery onto a selfie of Jamie, Tyler sketched out the contours of the man’s face, losing himself in the Jamie’s details. If his portfolio later ended up with a flash sheet devoted to Dallas Star’s logos and designs, that was his own business as well.

 

The night before the game, Tyler woke in cold sweat. His sheets clung to his cool body; his T-shirt soaked in perspiration. His hair stuck to the back of his neck as he sat up in bed, hugging his knees to his chest. Memories of guns, blood and dust filled his head, and when he closed his eyes, he could see the terror around him. Covering his face with his hands, Tyler fought not to retch; his mind was playing tricks, telling him that his hands were sticky with warm blood. He thought he could smell the metal in the air.

It had been a routine day; they were part of a bigger convoy leaving the base. There squad of eleven soldiers were all lumped in the back of a truck joking together; none of them knew that their entire world was going to change. Tyler only remembered vague moments from that fateful day. He remembered the truck stopping because of an obstruction on the road. Everyone had tensed and readied their weapons as a precaution. He remembers the explosion ringing out in front of them, the noise ringing in his ears as they scrambled out of the back of the truck. He can’t remember what the obstruction was, and he didn’t know where the explosion came from. He remembered gunshots, and he remembered Pev’s hand on the back of his neck pushing him.

“Run! Soldier run!” That command haunted Tyler most nights, it hadn’t been his friend shouting that at him. Pev’s had been in sergeant mode, screaming at him to move. Tyler acted like a good solider and he listened to his sergeant’s orders, he barely managed to run a few metres before a second explosion had him thrown off his feet.

He’d woken up in the medical tent back at the base, Pev’s lying on the cot next to him and one of his squad brothers on a cot on the other side of the room. They were on a plane home two days later, three soldiers and eight coffins draped in Canadian flags.

 

Throwing back his damp sheets, Tyler quickly peeled off his shirt. The light in his en-suite bathroom shone through the small crack in the door leaving a line of yellow light in his room. Glancing at his phone, Tyler sighed at the early hour. He accepted that he was going to start his day at 4AM, prior experience told him that he wasn’t going to find anymore sleep. Shuffling into his bathroom, he turned the dial of the shower to the hottest temperature. Leaving the rest of his clothes in a pile, Tyler stepped under the downpour, sucking in a breath as the heat touched his clammy skin. Dropping down onto the floor, Tyler let the water drop down onto his head, as once again brought his knees up to his chest and buried his head in his arms. Tears streamed down his cheeks, mixing with the water falling onto his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was part of one of my plans, Tyler getting tickets to see the Stars game and surprised Jamie! That will defo be in the next update, so stay tuned
> 
> There is a great song called 'Soldier's Memoir' which really helped me when I was thinking about Tyler's backstory. I would recommend going on YouTube and checking it out. It is very powerful


	11. Chapter 11

 

The group of four arrived early at the arena, an hour before the doors were scheduled to open. They had stopped off at the Hanger Store before heading towards the meeting spot; the shop was filled with Dallas Green and Maverick Blue coloured merchandise. They steered towards the mass of green, oohing and awing over the variety of different jerseys. Tyler was quick to find a jersey with the number 14 on it, his fingers stroking over the BENN embroidered onto the back of the shirt.

“What are you buying Uncle Ty?” Alisia tugged at the pocket of his skinny jeans. Tyler smiled down at the little girl as he traced the shape of the B. Crouching down so that they were the same height, Tyler stretched the jersey out over his arm so that he could show it off.

“I’m going to buy one of these.” Tyler bit his lip to hold back the giggle as he watched Alisia copy his earlier movement and traced the name.

“It’s pretty. You’ll be like the players.” Alisia clapped enthusiastically earning a round of laughter from the three adults.

“Should we try and find a pretty one for you too?” Tyler asked. Alisia nodded happily, reaching her little arms up to wrap around Tyler’s neck. Nat extracted the jersey from Tyler’s arms, allowing him to lift Alisia up. With the little girl in his arms, they searched through the rail of kid sized jersey’s. Tyler tried not to laugh every time Alisia turned down a jersey; she rejected every single one until she found one that matched Tyler’s choice.

“It’s not the same number though, so we won’t get them mixed up.” Alisia announced proudly as she clutched onto the hanger holding her ‘24’ jersey. Tyler was unable to hold back the laughter any longer as she clung onto her Benn Jersey. He knew that when they got into the locker room later it would spark a whole round of debates and jokes. Tyler also thought the idea that they could possibly get their two jerseys mixed up was hilarious. He’d be concerned if he was able to squeeze into a child size top.

“We won’t get them mixed up I promise.” Tyler agreed, after getting his giggles to stop. He was still envisioning the great debate which would start between the Benn brothers when they caught a glimpse of their matching jerseys. “You know I reckon if you ask nicely, Jordie will sign your jersey for you.”

“Will he sign yours too?” Alisia bared her teeth in her biggest smile, excited at the thought of someone signing her jersey. Tyler knew she didn’t know exactly which one Jordie was, but by the end of the night he would no doubt be her favourite player.

“I think I’m going to get Jamie to sign my one.” Tyler gently put the little girl back on the floor, watching affectionately as she ran off to look at another corner of the store. Accepting the jersey that Nat handed back to him, they both stood and watched Pev’s chase after his daughter. With the number of things being thrown into Pev’s arms, Tyler knew that there was going to be one very spoilt little girl tonight.

 “So Jamie?” Nat asked curiously. When Tyler turned his attention to her, he knew instantly that she had connected the dots.

“Yes?”

“Jamie, from the other night Jamie?” She continued with a mischievous grin forming across her pretty face. Tyler feared the moment she met Jordie; he hadn’t realised just how scarily similar the two were. Together they would be demonic.

“Yes.”

“Tonight is going to be brilliant,” Tyler frowned at her as she wondered off towards her husband and her daughter. He knew that the conversation was far from over, and he also knew that Nat was going to be loving every single second of it. Clutching his chosen jersey in his arms, Tyler followed his adopted family. Pev’s flung his arm protectively around Tyler’s shoulders as soon as he came over, and Tyler felt tension slip away which he hadn’t realised was there. He allowed himself to be led to the display of hats, and Tyler nervously pointed the veteran’s hat out for Pev’s. The surprise flashed across Pev’s face, before he schooled it back in. Tyler didn’t like to disclose his veteran’s status, he didn’t want to deal with questions, so openly pointing out the hat was evidence that something had shifted in the younger man. Tyler merely offered a shrug of his shoulders in reaction to the shock that he’d seen and stared at the floor to hide his smile when he saw Pev’s put the hat on.

 

They left the store wearing their new jerseys, and Pev’s in his new camo hat. Tyler felt deliriously happy having Jamie’s number on his back, and his name on his shoulders. The concourse outside the arena was slowly starting to fill up with eager fans, those who wanted to be the first inside the arena. The number of people around wasn’t enough to unsettle Tyler, but he still clung onto the feeling of fulfilment in his chest and curled his fingers around the cuffs of his jersey sleeves. Alisia had a wonderful way of keeping them all distracted as she danced in front of them as they walked towards the entrance they needed. The jersey she chose was a little large on her, the fabric falling to her knees, and the sleeves rolled up, so they didn’t hang over her hands. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail complete with a glittery green ribbon. Tyler knew that she was going to melt Jamie and Jordie’s hearts later. He hadn’t met any of the other players at the charity event, other than catching glimpses of them as they walked by, but he’d eat Pev’s hat if they didn’t all gush over the little girl as well.

There was an attendant waiting for them by their door, scanning the tickets and ushering them through the metal detector. Tyler appreciated the quick squeeze of the hand that Nat offered him. It was going to be alright, and nothing bad was going to happen. The group were led around the Concourse level, all of them eyeing up the various food stalls that were scattered through the building. When the attendant stopped at a trophy case, Tyler handed his phone to Pev’s and asked him quietly to take a photo of him in front of it. Pev’s had look confused for a moment but readily agreed. Tyler had them all smiling as he posed dramatically in front of the Art Ross Trophy; Jamie’s Art Ross Trophy. Nat poked him in the ribs as he grinned down at the photo on his phone, “You sending that to him?”

“He doesn’t know I’m here,” Tyler admitted, pocketing his phone once more as they continued the tour.

“So it’s a surprise?” Nat clapped in excitement as Tyler nodded. If the attendant was confused about the squeal of delight that escaped Nat, he didn’t ask.

 

They were being led on a tour of the behind the scenes aspect of the arena when the doors were opened for the rest of the attendees. The noise of the crowd was muted by the walls and the ceilings, but there was still a small niggle of worry that weighed on Tyler’s mind.

“And guys let me introduce you to Stephen John,” the attendee announced as a guy dressed in gear stepped out of the locker room in front of them.

“Hi you guys must be the Peverley’s it’s great honour to meet you all, and I just want to say I really appreciate the jobs that you’ve done for your country.” Stephen greeted, offering his hand to Pev’s.

Pev’s accepted the offered handshake, “Sergeant Rich Peverley, thank you for bringing us here today. This is my wife Nathalie, and our daughter Alisia.”

Tyler watched with looming panic as Stephen shook Nat’s hand and asked for a high-five from Alisia. He had the choice on how to introduce himself, whether to disclose his own military involvement or not. Shame pinched at his stomach as he offered his hand out next, “Tyler Seguin.”

“Nice to meet you. You guys ready to see the locker room?” Stephen grinned, rubbing his hands together eagerly. The door was pushed open, exposing them to the distinct smell of a locker room. No amount of air freshener was going to be able to mask the smell of twenty-two sweaty men. Tyler had to bite back the laugh as Alisia immediately scrunched up her nose at the odour.

Stephen led the into the room, and immediately Tyler searched for Jamie amongst the chaos. Jamie stood with his back to the room, oblivious to the latest addition. Jordie was looking around the room, and Tyler knew the moment that he’d been spotted. Jordie’s mouth dropped open in a surprise, his arms rising above his head. Tyler waved his hand at Jordie in greeting, not raising it further than hip height so as not to gain any specific attention. Unfortunately, Jordie didn’t get that memo, and bolted the few steps over to Jamie’s stall banging on his brothers back to get his attention. Jamie turned halfway to snapping at his brother when he saw four civilians stood in the centre of the room.

“Guys this is Sergeant Rich Peverley and his family, and Tyler Seguin.” Stephen introduced them to the rest of the team. Tyler watched as Jamie’s eyes snapped up searching for him. Tyler knew that Jamie moved quick on skates when he was on the ice, but he didn’t realise how quick he could move in them on carpet. In seconds, Jamie was stood in front of Tyler, towering over him with the added inches that his skates brought him.

“Surprise Chubs.” Tyler smiled up, batting his eyelashes slightly as he accidently looked up into a ceiling light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh this was so much fun to write! The Hangar shop at the American Airlines Centre is also dangerous to go in! I wanted to buy so much in there, I did manage to control myself slightly. Two pucks, a car sticker and a hat was the limit of my purchase. But seriously, I had a credit card on hand, it could have ended very differently.
> 
> Next chapter is in Jamie's perspective and your gonna get the little cutie pie being like why the fuck is my Tyler in the dressing room.


	12. Chapter 12

 

Jamie swung around at the heavy slaps on his back, Jordie persistently calling his name acting like a petulant child. Jamie already felt like he was a short fuse today; he’d woken up from his nap that afternoon feeling miserable and his mood hadn’t improved much when he arrived at the arena. His phone had been silent after receiving the text form Tyler on the drive to the arena, and that frustrated Jamie more than it should. After he ditched his suit in his stall, Jamie had risked a final glance at his phone before he turned it off ahead of the game. Tyler’s text was still listed as his most recent, but Jamie still double clicked on it just to make sure he hadn’t missed a message.

_You best win it for me tonight Chubs!_

Nothing had changed, and that had put a dampener on Jamie’s spirit as he shuffled into his gear. Jamie knew it was ridiculous to be bothered, but he still felt disappointed that Tyler was unable to make the game tonight. They had a week of home games, and then they were back on the road for another week. Jamie had a mental tally in his head, shouting how little time he had left to see Tyler again before he had to go away once more. He had never thought how the family guys on the team did it, and Jamie couldn’t understand how they could deal with the separation.

“Jamie. Jamie. Jamie!” Jordie pestered, the thumps on his back strong enough to make Jamie’s balance teeter. Swinging around to glare at his brother, Jamie’s patience snapped, “What do you fucking-”

“Guys this is Sergeant Rich Peverley and his family, and Tyler Seguin.”

Tyler. Jamie didn’t bother finishing the sentence he was growling, swinging around on his skates to face the middle of the room. Tyler was actually there, in Jamie’s locker room standing by Jamie’s defenseman. A week of nothing but photos, left Jamie utterly bewildered at how gorgeous Tyler was in person. Selfies did not do him justice, having him there in person was unbeatable. Jamie suddenly didn’t know how he going to go cope going back on away games now. He sprinted across the room so that he was stood in front of Tyler, admiring having the added inches his skates brought. The way Tyler looked up at him made Jamie want to claim him as his right there and then. He wanted all of his teammates to know that this was the ‘mysterious girl’ he had been messaging, and they would all suddenly realise why Jamie was so besotted.

“Surprise Chubs.” Tyler smiled up at him, the way he batted his eyelashes made Jamie harden slightly against his cup. His hair was curling madly as if he hadn’t stopped running his fingers threw it all day; he was absolutely breath taking. Jamie allowed himself the luxury of looking the man up and down, admiring the tight skinny jeans and falling in love with how Tyler looked in a Stars jersey. It was like he belonged in green.

“You best have my name on your back,” Jamie said, his voice a seductive whisper as he forgot about the twenty other people in the room. He was stood so close, that Jamie could count every single lash lining Tyler’s eyes.

“Well I wasn’t going to have Jordie’s number.” Tyler teased. Jamie let out a shaky breath as Tyler leaned a little further in, closing off any remaining space between them. Fuck it, Jamie thought as he threw his arms around Tyler. He hid his smile against Tyler’s shoulder as he felt arms circle around him in return. Tyler was clutching onto him for dear life, his arms hooked underneath Jamie’s, his hands curled in the fabric around the letters on his jersey. Jamie was no better; his hands were resting dangerously low on Tyler’s back. Jamie could feel the waistband of Tyler’s jeans underneath his little finger, and that excited him far too much. In that moment, it was only them in the room.

When they pulled apart and created a small space between them, Jamie let his hands slide from Tyler’s back until they rested against his hips. Voices from all over the room spouted questions and comments.

“I’m going to guess you two know each other.”

“Wait isn’t this the guy you took to the event last week?”

“Get a room!”

“I feel like I’ve missed something.”

“Put him down Cap!” Sharpy hollered with a shit-eating grin on his face. Jamie blushed, unable to resist the desire to wink at Tyler.

With a smile Jamie stepped back away from Tyler, redirecting his pleasantries to the family of three standing to the side. “Sorry, I’m Jamie it’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

He could only presume the pregnant woman who stepped forward to shake the hand offered was the legendary Nat, “You must be Nathalie?”

Nat smirked up at him, the smile making Jamie’s heart freeze. It was the mirror of Jordie’s devilish grin. “I have heard so much about you.”

“I’ve not heard anything,” Rich Peverley stated with a grin, poking Tyler in the cheek with his words. Jamie laughed as Tyler swatted his friends hand away.

“Are you going to sign Uncle Ty’s jersey Mr Jamie?” The little girl asked curiously.

Jamie crouched down in front of the girl, “If he wants me too I will, and whose jersey have you got?”

The little girl looked up at Tyler with a tiny pout, the smile she received in return melted Jamie’s heart to the core. “You’ve got Jordie’s jersey, baby girl.”

Jordie rushed over like an energetic puppy when he heard his name. He dropped down onto his knees in front of the little girl, “Hi there princess, I’m Jordie and what’s your name?”

“Alisia.” She smiled, throwing her little arms around Jordie’s neck. The room collectively aww’d at the sight. Jamie watched his brother tear up slightly as he carefully returned the embrace.

“Tyler, she’s the new favourite.” Jordie decided, earning another collective of mumblings to spread around the room.

Someone threw a marker at Jordie, he remained kneeling on the floor signing Alisia’s jersey for her. Roussel asked one of the questions the team was yearning to know as Jamie rose back up to his full height. “Okay, is he one of your friends from back home or something?”

The question didn’t come across derogatory, so Jamie was happy to shrug his shoulders and answer with a mere, “It’s a long story.”

“Oh come on! At least give us something to go on!” Cody yelled in complaint. The room burst into laughter as they watched him drop back down into his stall and throw his hands up in the air. Jamie loved his gossip hungry team.

 

The locker room shifted back into some vague resemblance of normality. Jamie remained next to Tyler’s side as the team all gathered around the Peverley’s, shaking their hands and falling in love with the delight that was Alisia. The Peverley’s were some of the nicest people that he’d ever met, and Jamie could instantly understand why Tyler loved them so much. It was like a cloud of love swarmed them and spread out to everyone else around. Jamie could see just how much Nat and Rich Peverley cared for each other, Jamie absentmindedly let his little crush picture a reality where he had that level of love between him and Tyler.  

Jamie was pulled out of his fantasy when he felt the marker being pressed into his hand. Looking up Jamie was met with a blinding smile from Tyler. “Would you?”

Jamie nodded silenty as he uncapped the marker, Tyler spun around so that he could sign the lettering of the back. “I could so write ‘the best’ above my name.”

Jamie bit his lip at the giggle that Tyler released, “If you need to keep reminding yourself that, go ahead.”

Jamie didn’t write ‘the best’, he chewed on the cap of the pen as he debated what words he should put down onto the jersey. Finally, Jamie simply signed his name, as he would any other time. The only difference from his normal signings was the little heart he added underneath his signature. Jamie capped the pen, smirking as he watched Tyler try to look over his shoulder to see his back.

“What did you write in the end?”

“You’ll find out later.” There was nothing Jamie wanted more in the world, than to kiss Tyler in that second. Tyler was sticking his tongue out at him in lieu of a reply. Jamie wanted to close the space between them and catch that tongue in his mouth, feel the press of their lips together and forget about everything else.

A bell ringing in the room told the team that it was time to take the ice for warm up and broke whatever was keeping Jamie from taking his eyes off Tyler. Jamie caught Tyler’s wrist before he could turn away, and head out of the dressing room. “Would you like to watch the warm up from the bench?”

Jamie knew that he’d get a comment from Lindy, but he didn’t care. He was reluctant to have Tyler leave his side after his surprise visit. He knew John’s GI’s normally got given seats on the front row if they were able bodied, or a seat in a box if they were wheelchair bound. Jamie was giddy at the thought of being able to easily find Tyler’s face in the crowd if he had front row seats.  

“Lead the way Chubs,” Tyler grinned at him, bending down to lift Alisia into his arms. The grin on Nat’s face hadn’t slipped at any point, and only grew when Rich rested a hand against the small of her back.

“Do you want to be the one to knock all the pucks over at the start Alisia?” Jamie asked, earning an enthusiastic squeal from the little girl.  Tyler winced at the noise, before pausing for a moment.

“Sorry, can you hold Lissy for a second? Just need to sort something quickly.” Tyler shifted the little girl’s weight into Jamie’s arms. Jamie bounced Alisia as he watched Tyler pull a small box out of his pocket. He didn’t question it when he watched Tyler insert ear buds in, if Tyler wanted to explain he would when he was ready. He knew that crowds weren’t Tyler’s thing, Jamie assumed that the earbuds were there to ease part of the issue. Jamie placed Alisia back into Tyler’s arms when he was ready; he sent Tyler a thumbs up instead of asking a question which would fall on deaf ears. Tyler copied the move somewhat awkwardly, smiling as Jamie gathered his stick from his stall. It was time for Jamie to win the game for Tyler.

 

Jamie skated with a fierceness throughout the warm up, the wind running through his short hair. He loved skating without his helmet on, it allowed him to hear the enthusiasm of the crowd. Jamie sometimes wished that he was skating in the old days, when helmets weren’t mandatory safety equipment. He dreaded the day when the governing body decided it was mandatory to wear a visor attachment as well.

He was so alive, as he sniped a puck into the back of the net. He knew he was going to do that in the game tonight, it just felt too perfect a night for him not to score. Jamie could feel Tyler watching him as he darted between his teammates, and that just made him desire the win so much more. He wanted to impress; he wanted to act like a pack animal dragging back prey to show how worthy he was. Instead of dead animals, Jamie would present goals and points.

Before the team had got on the ice, Jordie had shuffled Tyler and Alisia to the bench, and every player had high fived the little girl as they walked by. Jordie had petted the top of Alisia’s head, stroking her hair like she was going to be his personal good luck charm. Jamie let his inhibitions slip slightly, patting Tyler on the arse before he put his blades onto the ice. If Tyler questioned it, Jamie had already come up with an excuse; it was just a sports tap, normal in the locker room. Jamie couldn’t even begin to count the number of people who had slapped his arse, it was a normal thing for guys to do in hockey. There were always players who took it to different extremes admittedly, some guys just tapped and walked away, but Jamie had witnessed players do a full squeeze and grope. That was sometimes down to cultural difference; Jamie found that the Russians always were more affectionate in their touches than the Americans.

 

Jamie was off the ice as soon as the klaxon signalled that warm up was finished, he felt gleeful at the big grin that filled Tyler’s face. He felt like he’d already won the game seeing Tyler and the Peverley’s still perched on the pews. In his glove, Jamie had gathered one of the warm up pucks on his way off the ice, and he offered it to the little girl. Alisia was bouncing up and down in her seat, her energy was contagious and had Jamie laughed as she reached out for the puck with grabby hands.

“And what do we need to say Lissy?” Rich tutted affectionately at his daughter. Jamie had to bite his lip as he watched the little girl go full diva mode with an exaggerated eyeroll. Sharing a look over her head, Jamie really struggled not to laugh seeing Tyler in a similar state to himself.

“Thank you, Mr Jamie. Look Uncle Ty, it’s so cool!” Jamie led the family back down the hall to the locker room, his smile only seemed to get bigger as the little girl shoved the puck towards Tyler’s face. Jamie knew the moment was fast approaching, reluctantly joining Stephen John’s side as the team collectively said goodbye to their guests.

“It was really nice to meet you, hopefully I get the pleasure again soon,” Jamie charmed, once more shaking Rich and Nat’s hand. The attendant stood impatiently to the side, waiting to lead them all to their seats. Jamie raised his hand to give Alisia a departing high five, when the little girl wrapped her arms around his waist. She let go after a second, skipping off to stand with her parents, allowing Jamie to turn to Tyler.

“Do I get a hug as well?” Tyler teased, his breath escaping him when Jamie instantly closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around him. Jamie pulled back when he realised that he had probably held on longer than it would be socially acceptable between friends.

“I know you’re here with your family tonight, but just let me know if you want to hang out after the game. The guys tend to go to a bar a couple blocks away, and your more than welcome to come with if you wanted.” Jamie offered quietly so that only Tyler could hear. It wasn’t that it was a closed invite, but Jamie still felt oddly rude in asking.

 “I’ll think about it,” Tyler promised, “Now go and be all captainy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this chapter, and I hope you guys liked it as well.
> 
> Fun fact time, Sharpy shouting at Jamie to put Tyler down, is based off one of the funniest experiences in my life. Driving along with my friend and her family, and her step-dad just randomly unwinds his window and shouts at this young couple as we drive past. "Put her down." We didn't know them at all, but this couple literally flew apart and it still amuses me to this day. (This memory has supplied me with 13 years of amusement, and I can imagine Sharpy doing this!)
> 
> Alisia is an absolute delight to write, she is based off of my god-daughter so much. My GD never calls me my name, I just get a shout of 'Uncle Ali' as soon as she sees me, and that's why Alisia refers to Tyler as Uncle Ty.


	13. Chapter 13

Being able to watch the game from the front row was such an amazing experience, Tyler felt exhilarated. The earphones had stopped him from flinching at every shout and scream coming from those sat behind him; this allowed Tyler to focus on the game and watch as the Stars dominated the ice. Jamie was a force to be reckoned with, and Tyler couldn’t help joining in the cheering when Jamie put the puck in the net in the first two minutes of the game. Tyler and the Peverley’s were sat near the away net, allowing them to see the beauty of the goal clearly; as Jamie had cheered with his teammates on the ice, he’d pointed over at where Tyler was sat. Tyler had Alisia in his arms and they were both whooping in delight; seeing Jamie point on over at him had delighted Tyler even more.

As the game continued, and the hits occurred more frequently, and got dirtier, Tyler found himself readily engaging with the game. He was joining in with the crowd as they shouted at bullshit calls on the ice, and he copied Nat by banging on the plexiglass. He was so focused on the ice that he hadn’t even realised just how busy the arena was until the buzzer rang for the end of the first period. It was if on que half the arena suddenly rose to their feet and headed into the halls. Their seats were right in the middle of the row, meaning no one was stepping around them on their way to the steps. Tyler was not willing to join the masses in the fight to be the first at the bar; he was grateful when Pev’s was the one who offered to brave the crowd. The countdown to the second period was nearly done by the time Pev’s made it back with snacks balancing precariously in his arms.

“Thank you,” Tyler said with a raised voice as he took a container of fries from his friend. Pev’s smiled as he plopped back down into the seat next to him. Tyler playfully smacked away Pev’s hand when he attempted to steal some of the food. “Hey Pevs?”

“What’s up buddy? Do you need to get some air?” Pev’s worried, his playfulness the moment before vanishing.

“I’m actually doing okay at the moment. No, um,” Tyler fretted with the cuff of his jersey sleeve as he deliberated what to say. “I was thinking about going out with Jamie after the game, if that’s okay with you guys. I can get a taxi back to the house later on.”

“Of course that okay, just remember I am just a phone call away. If you need help I will drive straight to you, even if it’s like two in the morning.” Tyler let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding in at Pev’s statement. He hoped one day he would be able to pay back his friends for all the love and care they’d given him through the last few years. Even overseas, Pev’s had gone above and beyond, taking care of Tyler when he was just a young recruit and helping shape him into the man he was today.

“Thank you,”

“Don’t thank me yet, I want to know fucking everything about this whole thing.” Pev’s grinned mischievously. The klaxon sounded, and soon enough the players were back on the ice circling the rink. Tyler searched for the number 14 jersey for a few seconds, before digging his phone from his pocket.

_If the offer to go to the bar is still standing, I’m game. That goal was beautiful btw._

 

The rest of the game followed the same routine as the first period. The Stars were dominating, and the Panthers were fighting dirty. Jamie netted another goal five minute into the final period, taking the score up to 5-2. Tyler and Pev’s pounded on the plexiglass in celebration as Jamie skated past them.  The Stars put the puck between the pipes once more before the final bell; even with the earplugs, the thunderous noise in the arena was deafening. There was a sea of green as people stood to clap and cheer the Stars.

The fans began to pore out of the arena, the crowds migrating from their seats to the steps. Tyler sat back down in his seat as he waited for the crowd to thin out. During the second intermission he’d received a reply from Jamie, telling him to stay in his seat after the game and someone would come to collect him. Tyler had relayed the message to Nat and Pev’s, but they had insisted on waiting by his side until he was collected.

 They didn’t have to wait long; an attendant must have fought against the flow of people on the stairs to get down to where they were sat. Tyler kissed the top of Alisia’s head goodbye, the excitement had worn the little girl out and she was well on her way to falling asleep in her father’s arms. Hugging Nat and Pev’s goodbye, Tyler nodded his head when reminded that they were just a phone-call away. The attendant led Tyler threw the thinned-out crowd, leading him back down to the locker room. Jordie was waiting outside the door, in a stage of undress; he was no longer clad in his jersey, but the under-armour and various padding was still equipped.

“Don’t be offended if I don’t come and hug you.” Tyler smirked at the older Benn, as the attendant left him. Jordie grinned menacingly, inching a socked foot closer as if threatening to close the gap between them.

“You’d hug me if I were Jamie,” Jordie quipped, offering a rude hand gesture in response to Tyler pinching his nose closed and wafting the smell away. Tyler was only mildly joking, but he knew that the smell of sweat wasn’t coming from Jordie alone. It was like the locker room had been hit with a stink cloud which was penetrating through the closed door. Tyler could only begin to wonder how bad it must smell inside the room.

Tyler shrugged, seeing no reason to try to deny it. He nodded along as Jordie continued to chat as he pushed the door to the room open. As expected, the smell was pungent, hitting like a brick wall as soon as the door was opened. Tyler tried not to recoil as the smell worked its way deep into his nose. “Yh you get used to the smell, media is all finished. Jamie should be either finishing his round on the bike or rushing through his shower.”

“Is there anywhere I can wait whilst you go do whatever?” Tyler asked as he looked around the room. The locker room was so quiet in comparison to what it had been earlier, only a few players scattered the room in various stages of dress. He could hear chatter and laughter coming from the corridors that led elsewhere, Tyler could only presume they were the way to the gyms and the showers. He absently wondered which one Jamie was currently in.

“You can wait in Jamie’s stall. He won’t be long.” Jordie ushered Tyler to sit down in the stall.

 

\---

 

He knew that Tyler was coming down to the room after the game, but it still stole Jamie’s breath when he walked back into the dressing room after his shower to see Tyler sat in his stall like he belonged there. He’d had the foresight to at least take his change of underwear into the showers with him. Locker room etiquette was something which Jamie had all his life to get used to, but he understood that others weren’t as open with nudity. He didn’t want to scare Tyler by coming to greet him in only a towel; at least he had a pair of pants on.

“Wow Chubs.” Tyler gazed up at him. Jamie could feel his eyes darting up and down his body, and he couldn’t help the little pinch of anxiety that tickled at his brain. “You need to tell Jordie to give you a new nickname cause jesus you’re built.”

Jamie fought the blush that threatened his cheeks, he hung his head into his chest in an attempt to hide the smile that appeared at Tyler’s words. Any anxiety over his appearance disappeared but Jamie still clutched at the towel around his waist. “Thanks, you’re not too bad yourself.” Jamie teased.

Jamie tried to ignore the way that Tyler’s eyes followed his every movement as he pulled his clothes from the drawers underneath his stall seat. He could feel his body reacting to the stare and betraying his own lustful thoughts. Clutching his gathered clothing, Jamie hurried to pull his jeans on to hide his growing problem. Being around Tyler was making him feel like a teenager once more.

Others were slowly starting to wander back from the showers, provoking Jamie to hurry up in getting ready. He was being considerate, but he didn’t know if the others would be. He didn’t want to scare Tyler off, just because Val decided to walk around the room naked as the day he was born; which he did, often. A quick spray of deodorant, Jamie was tugging a t-shirt over his head and grabbing his cap as he led Tyler from the room.

“Sorry, some of the guys will just walk around the room naked,” Jamie explained as he led Tyler to the kitchen/canteen area. He’d been one of the first to finish getting ready, rushing his post-game workout more than he probably should have done. He’d been too eager to see Tyler again after he’d received the text in the intermission, and the prospect of them going for a few drinks excited him. The few players that had managed to beat him in getting ready were already scattered around the tables in the kitchen, recovering some of the lost calories as they waited for others. Jamie stopped next to the giant fridge that was filled with everything a hockey player could possibly need. Gatorade, fruit, cold pasta and jelly were some of the few things that Jamie could see as he opened the door. Grabbing a bottle of Gatorade for himself, Jamie held one up in offer to Tyler; he threw it to him when Tyler nodded.

“Thank you,” Tyler smiled as he peeled at the label on the bottle. Jamie took a long sip from his drink as he inched slightly closer to where Tyler was leaning against a counter.

 

By the time the rest of the players had finished dressing and had gathered in the room, Jamie was close to crowding Tyler up against the counter. Tyler had no complaints at the closeness between them and was actively leaning into Jamie as they enthusiastically recalled the game. Jamie found it fascinating to hear Tyler’s commentary on the game, it was a different sort of commentary than what Lindy or any of the other coaching staff offered. It was interesting to hear the events of a game from a fan’s perspective instead of having every single move that he made on the ice broken down into strategy and stats.

“We going to go get shit-faced or what?” Fiddler called as he entered the room with his arms raised as if he was praising god.

“We’ve all been waiting for you dipshit.” Roussel howled in laughter, aiming the crust of his peanut-butter and jelly sandwich at Fiddlers head. The room erupted in laughter as the crust flew way off target, splatting against the wall instead.

“Are you ready for this?” Jamie asked quietly, his voice barely audible against the shouts of the others.

“I’m ready. I left my glass slippers at home, so don’t worry about getting me back before midnight,” Tyler giggled, as he stole the last pretzel from the bag of chips that they’d been sharing.

“Does that make me your Prince Charming then Cinderella?” Jamie flirted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed to shift perspective half-way through the chapter, just because the last half worked better from Jamie's perspective than it would have Tyler's. 
> 
> Fingers crossed for the boys tonight, I've bet on them to win the entire series, so let's start it well!
> 
> Also lets just say Tyler defo ain't gonna be home by midnight ;)


	14. Chapter 14

The bar that Jamie led Tyler to was close to the American Airlines Centre, it was a small place that most people walked past instead of going in. During the time that they players had been getting changed, the streets outside the arena had slowly emptied. The crisp night air pierced through the fabric of the jersey making Tyler shiver slightly on the short walk. When they reached the bar, Tyler was pressed against Jamie’s side trying to discreetly steal his body heat.  The bar was busy, but not heaving like some of the ones closer to the arena. There was a large table in the back of the room which was oddly empty considering the amount of people who were already there. Tyler followed Jamie over to the table, smiling when he noted the small reserved card sitting in the middle.

“They reserve it for us most game nights,” Jamie explained as he commandeered two chairs for them. Tyler dropped down into the chair accepting the drinks menu that was pushed into his hands by one of the other guys. He pretended to skim through the list of shots and cocktails that the bar had to offer, knowing full well that he’d just order a Coke. He was the only one holding a drinks list, so Tyler could only presume that the others already knew what they wanted, or they all had a usual drink.

“What are you having?” Tyler whispered quietly as he leaned close to Jamie’s side. From the other side of the table he tried to ignore Jordie making heart signs at them.

“Probably just a soda,” Jamie smiled, throwing his arm over the back of Tyler’s seat as he leant in so that they could hear each-other. Tyler jumped slightly in his seat when he felt Jamie’s fingers brush against his shoulder.

“Don’t drink?” Tyler asked curiously, resting his neck against the warm arm on the back of his chair. He bit his lip to hide the smile as he watched Jamie gasp at the cold touch.

“Don’t want to forget an evening with you,” Jamie breathed as he moved so that his hand was wrapped around the back of Tyler’s neck. Tyler pushed back against the touch, returning the smile that Jamie offered. “You’re freezing, do you want to borrow my jacket?”

Tyler shook his head gently, “No don’t worry about it.”

He didn’t care that the whole team were watching their actions, as Tyler argued softly with Jamie as the captain tried to push his discarded jacket around Tyler’s shoulders.  Jordie’s loud proclamation as he rose to his feet paused their chatter, “I’m not drunk enough to deal with these two idiots all night.” A cheer of agreements ran down the length of the table as a few more rose to head to the bar with Jordie.

“Don’t worry they’ll bring back a few pitchers of beer, water and soda for everyone to help themselves too.” Jamie explained, using Tyler’s momentary distraction to succeed in placing the jacket around him. Tyler clutched the front of the jacket, pulling it tighter around him; despite his insistence that it hadn’t been necessary, he appreciated the warmth it immediately brought. The jacket was a beautiful grey wool that felt amazingly soft in Tyler’s hands. Tyler hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off Jamie when they had walked to the bar; Jamie was gorgeous anyways, but he looked like a fashion model in the coat.

Subtly inhaling the fabric, Tyler allowed himself to be surrounded by everything that was Jamie in that moment. The smell of his cologne filled the air every time the coat shifted around him, relaxing Tyler down till he felt like nothing more than a puddle of content.  “Thank you.”

 

The last time Tyler had been in a bar, he’d been nineteen. He’d completed his training and it was two days before he was set to be deployed. That night in the grimy Toronto bar was an entirely different experience to this; for a start he was sure he’d have remembered having someone like Jamie Benn by his side. Tyler couldn’t remember much from that night, but he could definitely recall his own insecurities about his sexuality. He hadn’t wanted to out himself to his new squad, so Tyler had forced himself to join in with the everyone as they flirted and danced with girls they’d forget about the next morning. Tyler had gone back to his hotel alone that night.

This felt different though, admittedly no one knew about his sexuality, but they also didn’t care that Tyler and Jamie might have well as been sharing a single chair. Tyler felt comfortable and at ease, the team reminded him so much of the squad dynamic, but the emotions that they boiled up inside of him didn’t leave him feeling like he was dangling off a cliff as the world crashed down around him. It made him feel happy as he made little mental references, like how Patrick Sharp’s parenting of the younger guys reminded Tyler of Master Corporal Davidson. Davidson had been one of the senior soldiers in the squad, but his seniority just gave him an excuse as to why he could coddle the new privates. Tyler smiled solemnly to himself, there had been times when Davidson would just sit silently by his side after a long day in the dust and sand. Pev’s always knew the words to say, but Davidson was always there to make sure you weren’t left to your own thoughts.

The noise in the bar was steady, but it didn’t trigger Tyler’s anxiety like it normally would have. Tyler allowed himself to feel relaxed as the noise buzzed around them. It helped that he had a view of the full room, and from his seat he had the door in plain sight. Behind him, there was nothing but a wall and Jamie’s arm. The guys were shouting gleefully across the table at each other, chatter which Tyler didn’t understand. Something about guys on other teams that Tyler knew the name of but nothing more. Jamie occasionally added little comments to the conversations happening around the table, but otherwise seemed happy just to chat with Tyler. Others dipped into their conversation as well, still desperately trying to find out how they knew each other. Tyler had giggled into his soda when Jamie had glared at Jordie when the question was initially asked. Jordie opened his mouth, the glint in his eyes warning that he was going to reveal the joke, only for the table to shudder suddenly. Jordie yelped, reaching under the table to massage his shin; judging from the happy smile on Jamie’s face, Tyler could guess what had happened.

 

“What brought you to Dallas Tyler?” Antti Niemi, the Stars goalie, asked as he dropped into the empty seat by Jordie’s side. They’d been at the bar for a couple of hours, the drinks were still flowing, and the team played musical chairs, changing seats every so often to talk to new people or just dropping into whatever was available upon return from the bar or the little dancefloor. Jamie and Tyler had remained where they were since they’d first entered the bar, the others had rotated around them as the time had passed.

Tyler froze in his seat for the first time that evening; the questions that the others had asked before him had been easy answers. What did he do for a job? Tattoo artist. Would he tattoo this or that? Come into the shop and we can talk more. No one had yet questioned his immigration.

“My friend Nat, she got offered a job down here. I was going through a bad time, they asked if I wanted a fresh start.” Tyler answered slowly, his hand movement the only tell-tale sign that he was nervous. His fingers tapped against his thumb, in a rhythmic routine as he watched Antti consider his answer.

“They sound like good friends.” It was a diplomatic reply, but it made Tyler feel less on edge. He could still feel Jamie and Jordie eyes on him, as if they too were very interested in the answer. Jamie knew how long he’d been in Dallas, but even as they’d grown closer in their texts and chats had never tried to ask again what had brought him there.

“They really are.” Tyler smiled as he reflected back on all the amazing things they’d done and would do for him.

“Let’s drink,” Jamie announced, lifting his glass of soda in the air, “To good friends.”

“Good friends,” was repeated between the other three. Tyler sipped slowly at his soda, whilst Jordie and Antti chugged at their beers. Jamie put his glass back down, before he slipped his hand under the table to rest on Tyler’s knee. Tyler dropped his hand to rest on top, smiling at the gentle squeeze he got in response.

 

Tyler knew he joked about not having his glass slippers, but as the time ticked by and went past midnight, he found his sleep deprivation catching up with him. His nightmares from the previous night had reaped havoc on his already messed up sleep schedule, and he could feel his energy draining.

“I think I’m going to call it a night.” Tyler yawned for the third time in as many minutes.

“Come on then, I can drive you home or you can crash at mine? It’s closer and it means you not wake up Pev’s and Nat.” Jamie offered. Tyler didn’t know if it was the low lights in the bar, but he swore he could see Jamie blush.

“You don’t have to go out of your way, I can get a taxi or something.”

“It’s fine I’m getting tired too, besides wouldn’t be out the way if I’m just driving to one place.” Jamie smirked with a silly raised eyebrow that had Tyler giggling as he leant his head against Jamie’s shoulder.

“Well when you put it like that…”

They slowly rose from their seats, gathering the attention of the team who were still sat at the table. The rest were scattered around the bar, chatting up girls or downing shots. Tyler gathered up Jamie’s coat from where he’d draped it over the back of his chair once he’d warmed up whilst Jamie announced their departure to the group.  Tyler tapped out a quick message to Nat, as Jamie spoke quietly to Jordie. Jordie waved his brother away after only a minute, rising to give Tyler a quick hug.

“See you soon buddy.”

Tyler nodded as he was released from Jordie’s drunk embrace.  The rest of the team seemed to decide as one that they were going to say goodbye to their new friend in the same way; by the time they’d left the bar Tyler had been hugged by pretty much every single member of Jamie’s team. The night air was fresh and crisp after the warm atmosphere in the bar, and just like when they walked over from the arena, Tyler shivered in the breeze.

“Jacket on.” Jamie smirked, pushing the jacket away when Tyler tried to hand it back to him. Tyler rolled his eyes but appreciated the gesture as he pulled the jacket on.

“Don’t blame me if you get cold.” Tyler joked, as he was led back towards the arena.

“You’ll just have to warm me up.” Jamie retorted with a grin as Tyler leaned against his side as they walked. The streets were empty, even the roads were oddly quiet as they slowly reached the arena. Tyler allowed himself to be led around, not knowing where the private car park was.  When they finally stopped, Tyler frowned at the car in question until Jamie answered the silent question.

“Jordie drove this afternoon, he’s going to catch a ride with one of the guys later.”

Tyler nodded as he climbed into the new car, almost instantly relaxing into the soft leather seat. “You’re going to have to carry me up to your apartment, I could fall asleep right now.”

“Go ahead, I don’t mind.” Jamie smiled as he climbed into the drivers side. Tyler smiled out of the dark windscreen, knowing that Jamie meant what he said.

 

He didn’t know if the drive was just short, or if he’d dozed off at some point, but Tyler felt like hardly no time had passed when the car pulled to a stop. “Home sweet home,” Jamie joked as he opened the door. Tyler rubbed at his eyes as he followed, feeling like his entire body was turning to lead with every step that he took. Jamie shepherded him across the underground parking garage towards the elevator. Tyler resisted the urge to just lean his full body weight against Jamie as the elevator took them up to the 25th floor. If he’d been any less tired, he would have thought to ask about the view, he could only imagine the view of the city from this height would be breath-taking. As it was, Tyler had only one thing on his mind, and that was finding somewhere to sleep; it didn’t have to be comfortable. The floor would still be better than some of the places he’d made a bed.

“Come on, you can have the bed.” Jamie held onto Tyler’s hand as he led him through the apartment and into a large bedroom. Tyler smiled at the cringe that crossed Jamie’s face; he’d obviously forgotten that he’d not remade his bed after his pre-game nap. The bed was huge, and Tyler could be that it would easily sleep four hockey players. It seemed ridiculous for Tyler to have all of that and resign Jamie to the couch; which although big, wasn’t meant for grown men to sleep on all night.

“Stay?” Tyler asked, “I mean there’s plenty of room for both of us.”

“You sure?” Tyler nodded at Jamie. Jamie nodded back, before pottering around the room, pulling various bits of clothing from drawers. Soon Tyler had an old t shirt and a pair of soft lounge pants draped over his arms, whilst Jamie took his own small pile into the bathroom to change. Stripping out of his jersey, Tyler searched for the signature on the back. The small heart made his heart clench, leaving Tyler feeling flushed as he dressed himself in the clothes he’d been given and crawled into covers that smelt so intensely of Jamie.

The bathroom door opened and despite being half-buried in pillows and the duvet, Tyler watched as Jamie slowly shut off the lights of the room before tiptoeing over to the edge of the bed. “Still okay?” He asked as he carefully lifted the corner of the cover up.

“Still okay.” Tyler breathed, his heart beating as Jamie laid down facing him. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room, allowing him to see Jamie even in the dark. They stayed facing each-other as their eyes slowly closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was literally halfway through this chapter when I realised I made a nice error back in the very first chapter of the story. Now bare in mind I have based this on the 2015/2016 season, (but Jamie is going to be rocking his current hairstyle and beard combo, because just oomph), and in Chapter 1 I have Jamie insisting that Tyler is the blonde between him and Ben aka Ben Bishop. You know the Ben Bishop who only got acquired by the Stars in 2017/2018 season; and I thought I'd been doing so well with my research...


	15. Chapter 15

The two days after the ambush that took the lives of eight members of his squad were forever engrained in Tyler’s mind. He learnt from a mixture of gossip and reports what had occurred on that fateful day; he learnt it was an ambush and that the only victims had come from their squad. The rest of the convoy suffered small injuries, but no K.I.A.’s. Eight men and eight families that were torn apart in a matter of minutes. Tyler had been left with mild burns on the back of his arms and legs; scrapes and bruises covered the rest of his body, but all his physical injuries would heal sooner than the mental ones. The third survivor, Edward had been the most recent recruit to their squad; a trained doctor who had decided to join the war instead of working in a hospital. Edward was the only reason Pev’s made it out that day. Tyler learnt that Pev’s had been caught in the blast radius of the second explosion as well; he’d suffered similar injuries to Tyler, but when Pev’s had tried to stand up after the blast he had collapsed. Edward had been at Pev’s side as he went into sudden Cardiac Arrest and had been the one there to provide compressions whilst another soldier grabbed the defibrillator from the truck.

On the second day after the incident Tyler, Pev’s and Edward were boarding the C-17 jet which had been meant for another squad. The other squad had finished their tour of duty, happy to be on their way home to their families; there cheer depleted when the ramp ceremony began, and the eight coffins were loaded into the cargo bay. Pev’s seemed to be in perfect health, it hurt Tyler to look at him knowing that he nearly died too, not from war, but from his own heart. Pev’s career was over in the army with his heart problem, whilst Tyler and Edward were given the option; they could opt to be honourably discharged with Pev’s or they could continue their tour. Edward was the only one who opted to return after the funerals.

Tyler didn’t say a word the entire flight back to Canada. He just sat and stared at the eight coffins and wondered why all the gods in the world had let him live. He didn’t understand why he wasn’t lying in a wooden box and draped in a Canadian flag. His fallen brothers had wife’s or girlfriends, families and kids that had been waiting back home.  Tyler didn’t have any of that, but why was he the one who got to walk back through the front door of his family home. It should have been someone else who got the chance.

 

The plane landed in a commercial airport, and Tyler had watched as the coffins containing his friends were escorted off the plane by the military personal waiting for them. Pev’s had stood by his side as they shouldered their bags and followed the other squad off the plane. They were led into the terminal, whilst the coffins were taken away by hearses.

The terminal was full of civilians, crowds standing on either side of a little cleared pathway that spanned the length of the arrivals area. A line of elderly ex-servicemen was the first thing that you saw as you entered the main hall after baggage reclaim, their hands outstretched ready to shake hands with them. Flags were being waved by the civilians, and banners that proclaimed, ‘Welcome Home Troops’ and ‘Thank You’, were hanging over the sides of the little barriers. There were groups of kids in scout uniforms offering out cookies and bottles of water. People were cheering and clapping as the soldiers walked through. Kids were running over to the parents they hadn’t seen for months, tears flowing freely in the happy moment.

Stepping through the door, Tyler hung his head low as tears fells down his cheeks. Tugging his fatigue cap lower to mask his tears, Tyler slowly walked down the barriered path. Hands patted at his shoulders whilst words of “Welcome Home” were said to him. He felt like a failure in that moment, and he felt like a fraud.

 At the end of the barriers, his family were waiting next to Pev’s wife and children. Tyler already knew the calendar for the next few weeks, with funerals nearly every day. It was that reason why he didn’t bother trying to find the words to say goodbye to Pev’s before their families swarmed over to greet them. Nat ran at her husband, tears streaming down her cheeks whilst Tyler found himself in the middle of his sisters combined embrace. Tyler’s tears only fell quicker as his sisters released him into his parents hold.

 

Tyler wanted to relax into the backseat of the car. His family had had the same car for as long as he could remember; his mother used to joke about it being more reliable than their father was, but her words had never made him or his sisters join in with the harsh laughter. Apparently, his mother and father had agreed to some form of a truce for the day, they both sat in the front seat whilst Cassidy and Candace leaned either side of Tyler.  They barely made it out of the airport’s carpark before the excited chatter and questions began.

“Are you sad that you’ve been discharged?”

“I hope your proud about all the work you did out there son.”

“Tell us about the things you’ve seen!”

“Did you kill anyone?”

“Candace!” His mum warned.

Tyler curled himself around the duffle bag that was resting on his lap. He tried to drone out the questions and the argument that his mother and Candace were having around him.

“I don’t wanna talk about the war.”

 

\---

Tyler was violently shaken awake; the sun was slowly rising outside, painting the sky pink and orange and illuminating the bedroom in a soft light. Jamie was leaning over him, worry etched on his face as he repeated Tyler’s name. Jamie stopped calling his names as Tyler’s eyes shot open.

“You were crying in your sleep.” Jamie stated, his hands remaining on Tyler’s shoulder and side. Hesitantly Tyler raised his hand to his cheek, wiping confusedly at the wetness that he found there. He actually had been crying, he didn’t realise that was even possible.

“Sorry," Tyler mumbled, wiping at his eyes to rid the remaining evidence of his tears. He snuffled back into his pillow, sighing contently as Jamie ran his hand up and down his arm.

“Hey don’t apologise, there is nothing to be sorry about.” Jamie whispered. Tyler watched as Jamie settled cross legged beside him, his hands alternating between stroking the length of Tyler’s arm, and teasing the messy curls at the base of his neck. On one stroke of the arm, Jamie paused at the silver cuff around Tyler’s left wrist. Tyler fought the urge to pull his arm back when he felt Jamie’s fingers run across the cuff bracelet.

Maybe it was because of the memories that plagued his dreams, but Tyler caught Jamie’s hand in his own and entwined their fingers.

“I joined up when I was eighteen,” Tyler whispered. He wanted to bury his head back into the pillow and pull the covers up over his head, but he focused instead on the feel of Jamie’s hand in his own using that as an anchor as he stared up at Jamie’s face.

“Nat brought me and Pev’s these when we came back.” Tyler continued shakily, tears once more making tracks down his cheeks and over his nose. He released his hold on Jamie’s hand raising his arm up closer to Jamie’s face, allowing him to see the tiny letters which were engraved across the band. Tyler snuffled into the pillow, now damp from his tears, as Jamie gently twisted his arm so that he could see the bracelet in its entirety.

“Eight names.” Jamie stated with a little choked noise as he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.  Letting out a shuddering breath, Jamie shifted so that he was once more lying down next to Tyler. Carefully he placed an arm over the top of Tyler’s covered body, pulling him gradually closer until his head was buried against Jamie’s chest. Tyler returned the embrace, clinging onto the back of Jamie’s shirt, his tears soaking the fabric.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a lot of the airport scene is based on videos of homecoming's and what some soldiers come home too. I wrote it so that the crowd was initially arranged for a squad who were coming home already, and Tyler and Pev's were just piggybacking on the flight. This is because, it had just been them and the coffins they would have had a more discreet affair. A ramp ceremony, is a memorial which takes place on the airfield before the coffins are loaded onto the plane to return home. 
> 
> The cuff bracelet that Tyler is wearing is a Memorial Bracelet which are typically worn to remember those who have died in war or in terrorist incidents. 
> 
> And now Jamie knows the basics of Tyler's past!


	16. Chapter 16

Jamie didn’t trust himself to speak, too scared that he would spook the elephant in the room. Tyler had been slow to stop crying, and every sob that racked through the man’s body made Jamie’s heart clench. He was lying on his back staring up at the ceiling, the empty whiteness doing nothing to distract the thoughts running through his head. Tyler was lying on his shoulder, hands clutching the fabric of Jamie’s t-shirt, stretching the fabric out of shape. Jamie had his arms locked protectively around Tyler, but they both knew that nothing could protect him from his own memories.

The names that Jamie had read off the bracelet were engraved in his mind as he tried to picture this version of Tyler being in a warzone. The Tyler that Jamie knew feared crowds and wore headphones in public to help his anxiety. The Tyler that Jamie knew would not be able to shoot someone.

Soft snuffles alerted Jamie that his Tyler had fallen once more into a fitful sleep. Jamie allowed himself a few moments of simply holding the other man in his arms, before carefully detangling himself all whilst adding another mental note to his definition of Tyler. His Tyler was a clingy octopus. Pushing a pillow in the space where his shoulder had been, Jamie felt his heart flutter as he watched Tyler frown softly before snuggling into the cushion. Resisting the urge to tuck the covers around Tyler, Jamie grabbed his phone off the bedside table. A message from Jordie had him frowning as he unlocked the device.

**_ Crashing at Antti’s. Don’t say I don’t ever do anything for you.  _ **

**_Darth, I don’t know what you mean._ **

Jordie’s late night message was so obviously a drunken ramble, Jamie didn’t bother to pay it further attention as he dropped his phone back down on the table. Jordie was older, he could take care of himself during a hangover from hell. Thankfully practise was on in the afternoon today, allowing the entire team a much-needed lie-in. It would also allow the idiots enough time to recover from their hangovers, Jamie huffed a laugh at the thought.

Casting a quick glance at Tyler to check that he was still asleep, Jamie tried to open his bedroom door as quietly as he could. The hinge creaked despite his attempts, causing Jamie to snap his attention back towards the bed. Tyler was still breathing deeply, fingers twitching as he snuggled against the pillow that was the replacement for Jamie’s shoulder. Savouring the sight, Jamie slowly began creeping out the room once more.

 

With the coffee brewing in the kitchen, Jamie was left with nothing to do but stare at the barren contents of his cupboards and the fridge. Either Jordie or himself would have to brave the Walmart up near the Galleria at some point over the next few days; they’d run out of nearly everything except a measly pint of milk which Jamie didn’t want to risk testing. It may not have started to stink out the fridge, but Jamie wasn’t willing to risk opening it to check it was okay. Jamie groaned as he remembered that although he was content to drink the coffee black, Tyler was not; Tyler was a milkier the better guy. Sweeping the cupboards again, Jamie whooped quietly as he unearthed a dusty bottle of coffee creamer. He didn’t know why they had it, and he didn’t know why it was hidden behind a pile of soup tins, but it was something. Jamie tugged his t-shirt over his head to use it as a cloth to wipe away the dust as the coffee machine finished spluttering. Leaving his dusty shirt on the counter, Jamie clutched the bottle of creamer under his arm as he took two cups of coffee back to his bedroom.

The smell of coffee or the noise of the machine must have woke Tyler. He was sat up in bed, hugging a pillow in his lap when Jamie stepped back in armed with the coffee. Climbing up into the middle of the bed, Jamie passed one of the cups over before letting his grip on the creamer relax. The bottle bounced slightly as it landed in the space between them, Tyler looked at the bottle with a raised eyebrow before pouring some into his cup. Jamie watched as he blew on his own drink, waiting for it to cool slightly.

“Sorry it’s just coffee. We haven’t really got anything else in other than pasta.” Jamie admitted bashfully; his words were met by silence. Jamie watched as Tyler clasped his cup between two hands, staring absently into the milky contents. When Jamie finally got a response, Tyler spoke the words into the cup instead of looking up at his face.

“Thank you, I’m sorry bout earlier.”

“Ty, you can tell me anything whenever you are ready. I’m not going to push you to talk if you don’t want to.”

Tyler nodded in response, but Jamie couldn’t help the little thought that crossed his mind; Tyler may never tell him anything more than what he had. In an instant, Jamie decided that if that was the case, he was okay with it. He had no right to make Tyler tell him all the gory details, and he wouldn’t want to push Tyler away by persistently asking for them.

Silence once more fell over them as they sipped at their drinks, before Tyler mumbled, “Can I use your shower?”

“What? Yh of course. Do you want a change of clothes?” Jamie jumped up, the dregs of his coffee spilling from his cup and staining the bedcovers. Tyler didn’t get a chance to answer or reply before he was handed a fresh t-shirt and fresh underwear. “There’s fresh towels on the rack and there should be a spare toothbrush somewhere under the sink, help yourself to whatever is in there.”

Tyler stopped Jamie’s ramblings by rising from bed and wrapping his arms around Jamie’s waist in a brief squeeze. “Thank you.”

The embrace ended sooner than Jamie would have liked. Tyler’s hands were hot against his bare skin, and it felt like he’d been branded with his hand prints. Before he could reply Tyler was already stepping through the door to the en-suite bathroom. When the door closed, Jamie stared at the white wood for longer than was strictly necessary. Gathering a fresh set of clothes for himself, Jamie paused when he heard the water being switched on. Shaking his head, he crossed the hallway to Jordie’s room and into the other bathroom. Closing the door behind him, Jamie leaned back against it. Twenty feet away, Tyler was naked in his shower. His mind supplied a cinema of things that Tyler could be doing in there, and every mental image sent blood racing through Jamie’s body.

Pushing his pants down his hips, Jamie bit his bottom lip as his cock bounced free. He was ridiculously hard, and it was almost embarrassing how close he was to coming before he even touched himself. Wrapping his hand around himself, Jamie fucked into his fist. His other hand dropped down to cup his balls, rolling them in his hand as he bit his lip harder to prevent himself from crying out. Gasping, Jamie drew blood as he bit down on his lip harder, Tyler’s name nearly slipping past his lips as he came. Cum splattered his hand and his stomach. Jamie threw his head back, wincing at the sharp pain when he slammed it against the door.

He prayed that he’d been quiet enough and that the shower in the other room had been loud enough for Tyler not to hear him. Masturbating to the image of the friend you just shared a bed with was one hell of a way to ruin a friendship, Jamie pouted to himself as he turned the shower onto full blast and made the water blisteringly hot. Stepping under the spray, Jamie melted under the heat and quickly washed the evidence of his release down the drain.

 

Jamie found Tyler sitting on top of the kitchen counter upon his return. Jamie stopped mid-step as he took in the sight of Tyler once more in his clothes. He’d never thought himself a possessive person; growing up being the youngest of three came with a life lesson about sharing. The sight of Tyler stood in his shirt, which was ever so slightly baggy; the collar was slipping down exposing the sharp lines of his collarbone. In a neat pile next to him was the jersey that Tyler had worn the previous night, and the rest of his clothes.

“Do you want to go out and grab some breakfast?” Jamie asked, a flush burning the back of his neck as he remembered his earlier actions. The image in front of him was enough to cause a rise in him; it made Jamie feel like a teenager again. He shouldn’t still be popping boners just because of one gorgeous fully dressed man. That was not something that should happen when you’ve already sailed past being twenty-five.

“Rain-check?” Tyler asked nervously, tapping his fingers against one another in the way that Jamie had seen him do before. “I forgot I had an appointment at the studio this morning.”

“Not octopus guy?” Jamie chuckled; he’d seen the picture that Tyler had drawn up for the octopus eating cupcakes. Tyler had drawn an amazing octopus; Jamie personally thought the octopus was being wasted on a ridiculous idea, but he wasn’t one to judge someone else’s commission.

“No thank god. Just a cover up piece today.” Tyler smile was smaller than it normally was. He jumped down from the counter and leant against it awkwardly as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I was wondering if I could beg a ride?”

“Let me grab my keys.” Jamie grinned. He was eager for any time with Tyler that he could get, even if that was just a fifteen-minute drive uptown. Running his fingers through his damp hair, Jamie snagged a cap off his drawers as he fetched his keys. Pushing his hair back underneath the hat, Jamie allowed himself a quick moment to check his appearance, before running back to where Tyler was waiting in the kitchen.

 

Tyler directed him to the tattoo studio, his directions the only conversation in the car on the short drive. The roads were quiet, they’d missed the peak traffic times leaving them to drive steadily around the city. The studio was in Lakewood Hills, a bland looking building with a vibrantly coloured sign hanging above the door. It was the first time Jamie had seen Tyler’s workplace, and he was mildly surprised by the external façade. He’d seen pictures of the inside from the background of photos that Tyler had sent to him, and the inside was leagues different from the outside.

A chuckle brought Jamie back to the present, Tyler explained, “Don’t worry most people have that look when they walk in. It’s not the prettiest thing from the outside, but people don’t care about that as long as its spotless inside.”

Jamie nodded, reluctant to end the time left between them, “It’s not that bad.”

“No it’s not,” Tyler smiled affectionately at the building. “Thank you again. I know I keep saying it but just yeh.”

Jamie didn’t bother replying, leaning across the console of his car and dragging Tyler into a hug. Breaking apart, Jamie wanted to kiss him, settling instead in smiling as he said, “It’s fine. Remember I’ll listen if you want to talk.”

Tyler returned the smile, but it didn’t shine as brightly as Jamie’s did. Swinging the car door open, Tyler was apart to climb out when Jamie stretched over and clutched at his wrist. “I know we had to ditch breakfast but let me know if you want to go grab some burgers for dinner later or something,” Jamie blushed as he stuttered over his words.

“I’ll let you know okay.” Tyler replied with a smile as he climbed out the car. With a wave of his hand, he was off running into the tattoo studio with only a single backwards glance. Jamie tried not to let that upset him, as he drove slowly back towards his apartment. Practise wasn’t for another two hours and Jamie couldn’t think of anything else to do to fill that time.

 

His apartment was still empty by the time Jamie had to leave for practise. Jordie had yet to return, leaving Jamie with no one to distract him from his own thoughts. Tyler was filling his head as he stripped the sheets of his bed, leaving them in a pile next to the washing machine and dryer with the collection of clothes that needed washing after the away trip. The apartment had been vacuumed, and the bathrooms had been bleached, but everywhere Jamie looked he could now see Tyler.

He could see flashes of Tyler as he walked down the corridors to get to the locker room when he arrived at the arena for practise. The locker room was already rowdy, the noise echoing down the corridors. The noise only intensified when Jamie stepped through the door, being met with a round of cheers and applause. Jamie frowned when Jordie came bouncing over to him from across the room, his brother slapping him proudly on the back.

“Oh chubs, good for you!”

“Are you still drunk?” Jamie asked as he glared at his brother.

“No! Can I not be happy that my brother finally got some.” Jordie cheered, wrapping an arm around Jamie’s neck and jostling him from side to side.

“What are you on about, I’ve not got anything.” Jamie blushed. He really didn’t need his sex life being openly discussed with the team. Everyone already knew that he got the least action out of everyone, but he didn’t need everyone to be reminded.

“Bullshit! You do know that Whatsapp shows me when you’ve read the message. Didn’t even reply and tell me it was safe to go home!” Jordie’s voice was only getting louder and louder, despite being right next to him. Jamie frowned as he dug his phone out of his pocket.

“I did reply to you. I asked if you were still drunk.” Jamie snapped, as he unlocked his phone to bring up the chat with his brother. He didn’t need to hear what Jordie was going to say next, the words on his screen were already enough.

**_ Crashing at Antti’s. Don’t say I don’t ever do anything for you.  _ **

**_Darth, I don’t know what you mean._ **

Jamie knew those two messages, but the message underneath was one he definitely hadn’t read. Holding down on the message, Jamie tapped the info button that appeared and immediately regretted doing so. There were the two little blue ticks; Read 25 October, 10:35. Jamie hadn’t read that, he’d been in the other room making coffee.

**_ Just saying I’m very considerate sleeping on Antti’s uncomfy as fuck couch just so you and Tyler could go and have as much loud sex as you want. _ **

“Jordie, What the fuck have you done!” Jamie shouted, his hands shaking as he stared in terror at his phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Underlined Bold - Jordie's texts  
> Bold - Jamie's texts
> 
> It honestly scares me how this fic has now matched the chapter count of Highlights!


	17. Chapter 17

He had honestly only picked up Jamie’s phone so he could check the time, but then it had buzzed in his hand. The screen lit up, displaying a chat message from Jordie, and Tyler frowned as he read the three most recent messages.

**_ Just saying I’m very considerate sleeping on Antti’s uncomfy as fuck couch just so you and Tyler could go and have as much loud sex as you want. _ **

He quickly locked the phone and put it back down on the bedside table. He no longer had the words on the screen in front of him, but they flashed in the back of his mind. Tugging the pillow that he’d been resting on into his lap, Tyler curled himself around it breathing in the mix of smells on the cushion. The cushion was a heavenly mix of Jamie and his own scent, and it made Tyler feel stable as he listened to Jamie pottering about in the other room.

Jordie’s message had sparked a thousand questions in Tyler’s head. Why did he think that Jamie and Tyler would be having sex was the main question, but then there was the question, did Jamie like him in that way? Tyler couldn’t help it when his thoughts took a darker toll; even if Jamie had been interested, he probably wasn’t now that he’d learnt about his past.

But then there was Jamie coming back into the room, walking around with his abs out and looking like a Greek god; to top it off he came brandishing coffee. Tyler was left feeling confused, as Jordie’s text and his own mental questions battled over the reasons why Jamie made him coffee. You wouldn’t make coffee for someone if you didn’t want them to be around anymore. He even brought in creamer for Tyler, which Jamie ‘I like my coffee black’ didn’t use.

 

Tyler felt like he was trying to avoid a conversation when he begged off the offer of breakfast; he did have an appointment scheduled but it wasn’t until midday. He could spend the time before hand preparing the studio and the designs for the client, and if he pondered on the text for a while there was no one around to judge him for it. The urge was there to message Jordie himself and ask about it, but Tyler couldn’t think of the words to say. It made him feel like he was still in junior high if he asked, _Does Jamie like me_?

Pev’s had opened the shop up that morning and was already working on a client in his studio. Tyler knew his friends schedule almost as well as he knew his own; he wouldn’t have to worry about the inquisitive questions from his perspective friend for a good portion of the day. Tyler retreated into his own studio; the door propped open slightly so that he could hear when the bell above the door rang. His studio was spotless, but that didn’t stop Tyler from running around it with the anti-bac spray to distract himself. The attempt failed, but at least he now had a studio that smelled pleasantly of lemons as he collapsed down at his desk. Flicking through his sketchbooks, Tyler frowned at the little doodles of Jamie and hockey that had begun creeping into gaps on the more recent pages. Even his notes and sketches for the client today had a small Dallas Stars logo in the top right corner.

Tyler was undeniably attracted to Jamie, he’d thought him gorgeous the first time he’d seen his photo. It felt like months had past since he’d been sat yelling as he read his texts from the mysterious person. It had been barely a month, but Jamie had pushed his way firmly into Tyler’s life and Tyler had willingly let him. His little breakdown that morning just cemented that. But Jordie’s text message seemed to spin Tyler’s world in a different direction. There were so many different scenarios that he could create about the origins of the text. Maybe Jamie liked him, but what if Tyler had been too obvious with his attraction and Jordie was taking the piss out of it. Tyler felt sick as he imagined Jamie and Jordie joking between themselves about Tyler and his unrequited crush.

Tyler was pulled from his thoughts when the soft tinkle of the bell rang out, followed by a soft call, “Hello?”

Rising from his chair, Tyler rushed out of the studio to meet the young woman in the reception area. He had met her before when she had come in to have a consultation with him about the cover-up, and Tyler waved in greeting at her before showing her into the studio. Tyler lost himself in the methodical procedure as he double checked that she was happy with the design, before arranging all his equipment on the table beside the chair in the middle of the room. With gloved hands, he carefully manoeuvred her arm onto a raised cushion rest. The design was beautiful, intricate and intense; Sunflowers would soon be scattered up her arm, with thin black lines and detailing’s splashed with vibrant yellow and gold watercolour. Armed with his tattoo-gun in hand, Tyler prepped the skin with Vaseline before dipping his needle in the little ink pot next to him.

“Ready?” The girl nodded in reply, relaxing against the back of the chair as the room was filled with the sound of buzzing.

 

Tyler was utterly lost in the design, black flowed into black, with shades of yellow exploding around them. It was perfectly detailed to catch his attention and he was focused on the difficult aspects of tattooing the client. The tattoo was a cover-up work, but it wasn’t covering up an old design, it was covering up old self-harm scars. He wasn’t one to judge, and he had explained that to the girl when she has initially consulted with him. The scars weren’t awful, but they posed a difficulty as the needle struggled against the damaged areas of skin. He’d been sat working for two hours when the bell at the door chimed, sighing he pulled his gun away from the skin, rubbing another layer of Vaseline over the area. His studio was closer to the reception area than Pev’s, so Tyler resigned himself to rising stiffly from his seat to go and great the visitor.

Tyler sighed when he saw the person standing in the middle of the reception, his attention focused on the designs adorning the walls. “Jamie-”

“I’m so sorry about the text. Jordie was just being Jordie and-” Jamie jolted at the sound of his name, spinning around to face Tyler. Tyler couldn’t help but notice that he was red faced, with worry lines etched across his forehead.

“Aren’t you meant to be at practise?” Tyler asked, momentarily cutting into Jamie’s frantic rambling.

“Yh, Lindy’s pissed. But I literally didn’t realise Jordie had sent that message until I was in the locker room.” Jamie continued, he stood gesturing with his hands as he rushed over his words.

“Jamie, I’m working. If you’re honestly here to tell me that you’re not interested in me that way, please I get it you don’t need to continue.” Tyler mumbled, tearing his eyes away from the man in front of him. The floor was much more interesting in that moment; he didn’t want Jamie to see him cry when he got rejected.  Silence tinged the air at Tyler’s words, and he took that as confirmation that he was right. His feelings were unrequited. Tyler wished Jamie would just turn around and go back to practise, it was already embarrassing enough that his client could probably hear their conversation. It was also likely that Pev’s could hear everything as well.

“Wait what the fuck Ty. I am interested, I thought you weren’t. You seemed really freaked this morning.” Jamie’s word were slower now, and less panicky. Tyler’s head snapped up, exposing the little tears that had formed in his eyes. Jamie stepped closer, reaching forwards to pull Tyler against his chest. A little noise escaped Tyler as he found himself pressed against Jamie’s chest, very aware of the ink that was staining his hands which were caught between their bodies. He’d have to put on a fresh pair of latex gloves now, and that thought reminded Tyler that his client was sat waiting upon his return.

Pressing his hands against Jamie’s chest, Tyler pushed himself backwards slightly. As suspected, he had left ink stains on Jamie’s shirt; what was once white was now stained black and yellow. Tyler giggled, wiping the tears from his eyes with his arms so as not to stain his face with ink, “God we’re a mess.”

Jamie laughed along with him, smiling brightly as Tyler stated, “I have about an hour of work left. Do you want to get coffee when I’m done to talk about this properly?”

“Could I stay?” Jamie asked cautiously. Tyler couldn’t find it in himself to deny him, merely nodding as he stepped completely out of his reach. Motioning Jamie to follow, Tyler wondered back into his studio, smiling as he apologised to his client. With a fresh pair of gloves, Tyler braced himself on his stool as he once more hunched over the inky lines on the forearm. He could feel Jamie’s eyes on his back as he worked, and everything he pulled back to reink his needle, Jamie leaned in to examine the skin.

The girl didn’t seem to mind the latest addition to the room, happily rotating her arm when she could to show Jamie the rest of the design. Tyler didn’t rush what was left, but he had overestimated just how little he had left to do before he was finished. Jamie had been the in the room with them for twenty minutes when Tyler had leaned back and proclaimed it finished.

“Just remember to keep it covered for a couple of hours and then keep putting cream on it. No scratching though. In about a month, come back in and I will retouch any areas that need it.” Tyler instructed as he passed the girl a small tub of tattoo moisturiser and a instruction sheet. He smiled at the surprise as she accepted the moisturiser. Most tattoo parlours simply offered a range which clients could buy if they chose too, but Pev’s and Tyler worked differently; they handed out a tub to every client regardless of the tattoo. It made them stand out a little bit as a studio, but it also meant that all their clients could take care of their new ink better.

“Thank you so much,” The girl exclaimed as she eagerly admired the design that was now etched up her forearm. Tyler loved the boldness of the yellows in the design, and he was glad that he’d been able to make the colours look as bright on skin as they had on paper. Tyler felt Jamie looming beside him whilst he sorted out the payment for the girl and watched as she bounced happily out of the door. The bell on the front rang out signalling her exit, when Jamie asked curiously, “You charged fifty bucks for that size design?”

Tyler laughed at the surprise in Jamie’s voice, struggling to catch his breath as he replied, “God no!” His response only seemed to confuse Jamie more, and Tyler struggled not to smile at the adorable little kicked puppy expression that covered Jamie’s face.

“For certain scenarios me and Pev’s do a discounted rate. You saw the scars on her arm?” Tyler explained, continuing when Jamie nodded at his question, “Few tattooists would touch that, the needle jumps when you run over them, and the ink struggles to take. For those kinds of tattoos, me and Pev’s explain that and if the skins really bad we work around the worst ones and incorporate them if needed. We also don’t charge full price, because no one should have to put up with people questioning or commenting on that kind of shit. If we could do it for free, we would.”

Hands grasped at his hips, pulling Tyler against a solid body. “You’re amazing,” Jamie breathed against Tyler’s hair as he held him close.  “I want to kiss you.” Jamie admitted with a whisper.

Tyler grinned happily against Jamie’s shoulder, “You can buy me coffee first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three cheers for the idiots who finally learned to talk. Kinda
> 
> And included is a little teaser of how this fic is going to be linked with Highlights. 
> 
> Bold, Underlined - Jordie's text.


	18. Chapter 18

It felt crazy to Jamie that he was once again sat at a table in Mudsmith-Centrum, cradling a cup of coffee in his hand. He had ran out of the locker room with Jordie shouting after him; his phone buzzed with messages from his teammates and Coach the entire drive to the tattoo studio.  He didn’t bother checking the texts nor did he answer and of the calls that bombarded him as he sped down the highway. The only thing that mattered was explaining himself to Tyler; he wasn’t going to let one stupid text ruin everything. Jamie knew his plan, he’d start by apologizing about Jordie, and depending on what Tyler said, he’d then say it was just Jordie joking or he’d admit that truth. Jamie was willing to put his own feelings aside just to keep Tyler as a friend.

When they’d talked, happiness and confusion had fought against each other when Tyler had subtly admitted that he had feelings for Jamie. The happiness and confusion swiftly turned to a desperate need to comfort when Jamie realised how broken Tyler sounded; it was as if he’d already accepted a reality where there could be nothing between them. Jamie instinctively wrapped himself around Tyler, trying to show his feelings with his hug as well as with his words.

Jamie didn’t think he’d smiled as widely as he had since the day he was drafted. Tyler led him back into the studio, and Jamie had watched with fascination as Tyler lost himself in a gorgeous watercolour tattoo. The sunflower was so intricate, and the colours were splashed around the skin in bright golden hues. Tyler moved his tattoo gun with the same precision Jamie moved his hockey stick, every little move was calculated. It was perfection, and Jamie wanted Tyler to leave his mark underneath his skin.

After Tyler’s client had left, Jamie was left in charge of a spray bottle of anti-bac, assisting Tyler in cleaning up the studio. Between them it took five minutes to wipe down the surfaces and clean away the supplies. They shared small smiles as they moved around each other, their words were being saved for the coffee shop. Jamie had shuffled his feet in the reception when Tyler wondered off to knock on the door to the other room, sticking his head in to inform Pev’s that he would be back in a little while. Jamie didn’t know what was said between them, but Tyler skipped down the corridor on his way back.

 

They didn’t sit at the exact same table they’d shared the first time they went to Mudsmith, instead they settled into a little corner booth in the back of the café. Jamie was grateful for Tyler’s choice of table when he returned with two overflowing cups of coffee and a receipt for two grilled cheese sandwiches. The table offered a privacy from the other patrons of the café, particularly when everyone else was more interested in sitting closer to the windows so they could look out on the lovely day outside.

Tyler wasted no time beating around the bush, waiting until Jamie had taken the first sip of coffee to ask, “So you were being serious when you said you were interested right?”

The abruptness caught Jamie by surprise, leaving him struggling not to spit out his coffee. Coughing slightly, Jamie quickly wiped at his mouth, “Ty, trust me when I say I am very serious.” Memories of what he did in the bathroom that morning flashed across his mind, but Jamie wasn’t willing to tell Tyler about it. _Very serious, I jerked off over the thought of you naked just this morning;_ Jamie shook his head to dislodge that thought, it didn’t fit the mood of the conversation.

“This is crazy,” Tyler huffed a laugh into his coffee cup. Jamie thought the smile on Tyler’s face lit up the entire room in that moment, it was so mesmerising. Tyler had the beginnings of tears glistening in his eyes as he spoke, “I mean your this amazing, attractive, sweet person and you seriously want me.”

Reaching over the table, Jamie caught one of Tyler’s hands in his. Entwining their fingers together, Jamie squeezed softly, “Tyler you are the bravest, kindest and most gorgeous human being I have ever met. I’m so happy that you actually liked me back.”

Tyler squeezed Jamie’s hand in response to the words, leaning in slightly he quietly admitted, “I don’t know what I’m doing. I haven’t dated anyone since I was seventeen.”

Jamie stroked the back of Tyler’s hand with his thumb, “I haven’t dated anyone for two years, so we’ll figure it out together.”

Tyler opened his mouth ready to reply, when the server bristled over to them effectively ruining the moment. Jamie bit back a laugh at the happy bounce Tyler did in his seat when the plates of grilled cheese were left in front of them. He had remembered from one of their endless text messages that Tyler’s favourite food was grilled cheese, but Jamie hadn’t expected Tyler to be so happy to have one.

Jamie was halfway through his food when Tyler broke the silence that had fallen over the table as they ate. “Are we keeping it a secret?”

Jamie froze mid-chew. He hadn’t even bothered to think about what the press would be like if they found out. He wasn’t vain enough to consider himself a celebrity, he was just a hockey player. He didn’t get followed or hounded by paparazzi, and most of the time he could happily just put on a cap and go about his day. If people recognised him, they’d maybe ask for an autograph or a photo before everything returned to normal. Jamie knew that would all change in an instant if his potential relationship with Tyler was discovered. He would be considered the first gay hockey player, even if there were others who had been in the closet for years. Jamie briefly wondered how guys like Toews and Kane managed to keep it a secret for so many years.  Forcing himself to swallow the bite of food in his mouth, Jamie slowly pondered his words. “I’d like to be tell my family and the team.”

Tyler nodded, “I want to tell Nat and Pev’s.”

“What about your family?” Jamie asked, instantly regretting it when a shadow fell over Tyler’s face. They had never really gone into detail about Tyler’s family, and all Jamie really knew was that he had two sisters.

“I haven’t talked to them for a while,” Tyler tapped his fingers against one another as he sighed. “I don’t know, maybe.”

“Okay, we don’t have to announce it to everyone at once,” Jamie reached under the table, resting a hand on Tyler’s knee as he continued, “And we don’t have to tell the world.”

 

Jamie dropped Tyler off at his studio after their lunch date; as he’d parked up in the lot, Jamie leant across the console and pulled Tyler in with a hand on the back of his neck. It may not have been the most romantic place to have their first kiss, but it was perfect. Tyler had sighed into Jamie’s mouth and tangled his hands into the sleeves of his shirt in an effort to keep him close. Jamie had pulled away, pressing a departing peck to the tip of Tyler’s nose. “I’ll see you later,” Jamie whispered, accepting a second quick peck that Tyler pressed against his lips.

“I’ll see you later.” Tyler promised before hopping out of the car. Jamie once more found himself watching as Tyler skipped towards the tattoo shop. Unlike that morning, Tyler turned as he reached the door, giving his fingers a little wiggle before disappearing out of Jamie’s view.

Jamie drove back to the arena; practise was finished but he knew that he owed Lindy an apology. It would also do him good to get some ice time, run some shooting drills and skate a few laps. The apology he gave to Lindy turned into the coach shouting at him for a good ten minutes before Jamie tried to offer his explanation. Coach had thrown his head back, shaking it as he stared at the ceiling; he’d prayed for god to give him strength when Jamie had sheepishly admitted that he’d skipped practise for a relationship matter.

“Do I need to worry about this becoming a common occurrence?” Coach had finally asked, setting Jamie with a disapproving stare.

“No coach,” Jamie blushed, apologising once more on the way to the door after he was dismissed. The embarrassment that came with being told off made Jamie hang his head as he hurried to the empty dressing room. Pulling his skates on, Jamie ignored the rest of his equipment as he carried his stick and a bucket of pucks to the ice. The surface was sparkling, and unscathed; no one had been on it after the Zamboni had gone around after practise. Leaving his stick behind the bench, Jamie stepped onto the smooth ice, immediately beginning a circuit around the boards.  Thoughts of Tyler kept him smiling as he ran his drills.

He was deliciously worn out by the time he collected all the pucks that he’d been playing with. Jamie was polite enough to tidy up after himself, putting everything back where it belonged. It wasn’t fair to make the support crew do extra work just because he was being lazy. After changing into a fresh t-shirt, Jamie slowly walked down the maze of corridors until he reached an office which he hated going into. He braced himself for the second bollocking of the day, as he tapped on the door.

“Come in.” Chrissy called from the other side of the door; Jamie took a deep breath as he stepped into the office of the Stars PR Manager.

 

It was early evening by the time Jamie finally managed to get back to his apartment. Jordie was sat on the couch awaiting his return, rising to his feet as soon as Jamie opened the front door. “Where the hell have you been! You haven’t answered your phone since you ran off.” Jordie snapped.

Jamie frowned as he checked his phone. He had ignored the messages he’d been receiving on the drive over to Tyler’s studio, and after they’d finished talking and gone out to lunch, the messages off his team had been completely forgotten about. Looking at the screen now, he was met with nearly five dozen different messages. There was also a dozen missed calls from both Lindy and Jordie. Jamie deleted the notifications; he’d go through the text messages later.

“I went to see Tyler cause he was the one who had read that fucking message you sent this morning.” Jordie had the decency to look embarrassed at Jamie’s words. Jamie took pleasure in the realisation that crossed his older brothers face.

“Fuck. I didn’t mean for that to happen, did you sort it. Please say I haven’t fucked everything up for you.” Jordie blathered as he ran his fingers in his hair. Jamie fought the urge to grin as he let Jordie stew for a minute.

“It’s sorted now, we talked.” Jamie’s attempts to hide his smile finally failed as he collapsed down onto the couch, commandeering the beer that Jordie had been drinking.

“And?” Jordie urged.

“And we’re together.” Jamie grin could match a Cheshire cat’s as Jordie burst into a fit of laughter.

“Chub’s you’ve been dating Tyler since you met him. Have you seriously only just realised that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heres to the two soft boys being slow, and actually fleshing out their relationship instead of jumping straight into sex. Sorry guys, but Tyler needs gentleness. 
> 
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-41888021/i-paint-sunflowers-on-my-self-harm-scars - so this was the article that inspired me to have Tyler do the sunflower tattoo for the random client,; trust me when I say she isn't acctually a part of the overall plot despite all of this. 
> 
> Awww, Mudsmith has made another reapparance. I am genuinely kinda gutted that I didn't end up going to this cafe; but unfortunately Dallas left me a little unnerved. The full story of that incident will undoubetly be pushed into the plot because honestly you can't even make some shit up, and this incident does fall into that logic. 
> 
> Also if you can't tell, Toews and Kane are going to be the pairing in Fic Number 3.


	19. Chapter 19

Tyler relaxed into the passenger seat of Pev’s little Ford Fiesta as they left the studio that evening. His afternoon had been spend working on commissions and dealing with any walk-ins. The ecstasy of his kiss with Jamie fuelled his happiness for the rest of the day and filled his body with a warmth that the Texas heat couldn’t.

“So, you obviously had an interesting night,” Pev’s commented as soon as they pulled out of the car park and into the late afternoon traffic.  Tyler turned to his friend, rolling his eyes at the gleeful expression that was covering Pev’s face.

“Whatever gave you that idea?” Tyler resisted the urge to stick his tongue out, like Alisia would, when Pev’s barked in laughter.

“Well to start, me and Nat woke up to find you hadn’t come home. No messages, she nearly had a heart attack.” Tyler froze, his eyes widening. He hadn’t thought about Nat and Pev’s, nor did he stop to let them know that he’d be staying over at Jamie’s. He hated himself for putting them through such unnecessary stress, especially with Nat being pregnant.

“Ok dude that was a joke, don’t worry.” Pev’s instantly soothed, reaching over to squeeze the back of Tyler’s neck. The traffic was at a stand-still outside, allowing Pev’s to turn more in his seat to look over at Tyler. “Seriously though, she is going to hound you for details as soon as you step in the door.”

Tyler choked out a laugh as he took a shaky breath, calming himself down. “I should have still let you guys know. Sorry about that.”

“It’s all cool Tyler,” Pev’s grinned, dropping his hand off the back of Tyler’s neck. He playfully punched at Tyler’s shoulder as the mischief in his smile intensified. “So, let’s talk about Jamie.”

Tyler was unable to fight a smile as he groaned at his friend’s nosiness. “What about Jamie.”

Pev’s hummed as if pondering the questions he wanted to ask; his act did nothing to fool Tyler, he could tell that Pev’s already knew the questions he wanted to ask. “Lets start with whats going on between you two?”

“You overheard the conversation in the shop.” Tyler stated rather than posing his words as a question.

“I overheard you guys in the shop yes.” Pev’s nodded, creeping the car forwards a few metres as the traffic began trickling forwards. “He said you’d been freaked out that morning.”

“Yh, it was just a weird night. I had a nightmare, and then later I saw a message on his phone from Jordie and I started questioning what it all meant.” Tyler waved his hands around as he vaguely explained. There was no need in providing Pev’s with the fine details; Pev’s knew him well enough to know what Tyler was like when he got panicked. He had also seen first hand what Tyler was like after a nightmare, and how they left him feeling like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff.

“Was he okay with the nightmares?”

Tyler slowly nodded in response to his friend. “I told him.”

The car slipped into silence once more, Tyler chanced a glance over at Pev’s and wasn’t surprised to see the look of bewilderment on his friends face. “You- Wow. I just want to say I’m really proud of you for that.”

Tyler exhaled deeply, he understood Pev’s meant that he was brave for telling someone about his past, but Tyler still resisted the urge to cringe at the idea of being proud of being a soldier. Even before he became disillusioned by the war and what he’d been doing overseas, Tyler had to put up with his parent’s scrutiny over his choices. Neither of them had been thrilled when he’d enlisted to put it lightly, and their distaste had never quite faded. When he’d returned home, their distaste hooked itself onto Tyler’s vulnerabilities.

“He was really good about it,” Tyler finally mumbled as Pev’s accelerated, his words nearly lost underneath the noise of the engine.

 

At the house, Tyler was able to beg off answering too many of Nat’s seemingly endless questions. He made use of a quick break in the interrogation to mumble about needing a shower, running up the stairs faster than Nat could move. With the locked door separating him from the rest of the house, Tyler reluctantly stripped out of the clothes which he’d borrowed from Jamie. A small smile stayed on his face as he stepped underneath the hot spray of his shower; he had no intention of giving back the clothes, even if they were a shade too big on him. It felt nice, reassuring almost, knowing that he’d had an aspect of Jamie with him all day. Tyler chuckled as he rubbed shampoo through his hair; he was determined to claim a hoodie out of Jamie’s closet. Hoodie’s were already a comfort blanket to him, acting as a shield against unwanted touches and the feel of people brushing up against him in crowded places; but Tyler could imagine wearing one of Jamie’s would leave him feeling like he was walking around all day with Jamie’s arms wrapped around him.

Stepping into his bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, Tyler felt his love towards his friends grow as he spotted a big mug on his bedside. The mug sported a huge swirl of whipped cream and was brandished with marshmallows. Normally hot chocolate was reserved for times when he needed to recover from flashbacks, or when he was struggling to cope. Tyler could only assume that Pev’s had informed Nat that Tyler had a nightmare the night before, and this was her way of helping him even if it as twelve hours too late. Pulling a t-shirt and a pair of pants on, Tyler plopped down onto his bed. Crawling into the centre, he sat crossed legged as he cradled the mug in his hands. Taking a sip from the milky, creamy, chocolate heaven, Tyler sighed happily realising that the drink was still pleasantly warm. Wiping at his top lip to remove the cream moustache that had clung to his stubble, Tyler nearly dove for his phone when it vibrated on his bedside table.

**_I know I said we don’t have to tell the world, but I did tell the PR team. Just as a precaution. X_ **

**_Is it okay I put an X at the end of the message?_ **

**_X_ **

_Jamie the X is okay :P_

_What did PR say??? X_

**_They weren’t too bad. Chrissy looked like she wanted to kill me, but she said least I told her before it was too late. XX_ **

**_Never been questioned so much bout my sexuality. XXX_ **

_Whats the plan then Chubs? Also you gonna just add more X’s to the end of every message lol? X_

**_Noooo. XXXX_ **

**_And the plan is until we either want to say anything or it gets out, we don’t have to say anything. XXXXX_ **

_Jamie._

**_Yes? XXXXXX_ **

_I take back what I said about the X._

**_:(_ **

_:P x_

Tyler smiled as he skimmed through his messages from Jamie, before tapping on the snapchat he’d received from Jordie. Jordie’s pouting face filled his screen, with a message underneath, ‘ ** _Sorry!!!_** ’

Tyler snapped a picture of his half-drunk hot chocolate, sticking his middle finger up in the foreground of the photo. He didn’t bother adding a message over the top, figuring that Jordie could stew for a few minutes. Jamie had told him at lunch that he’s been pissed when he’d found out what his brother had said, despite Tyler’s protests that he shouldn’t have read the message in the first place. He was secretly glad that he had though, the outcome was worth it in the end despite the unpleasant start to the day. Jordie had unfortunately been the reason that Tyler found out Jamie’s true feelings; as soon as Jamie was less annoyed, Tyler doubted that Jordie was going to let either of them forget that any time soon.

Picking a marshmallow off the cream, Tyler popped the sweet into his mouth; he was licking the mess from his fingers when his phone buzzed with an incoming message from Jamie. Disregarding the leftover stickiness on his fingers, Tyler eagerly tapped on his screen.

**_So tomorrow is an afternoon game. I was wondering if you wanted to come watch again if you have no plans?_ **

Tyler pouted at the message, he had appointments all afternoon. Despite his desire to go watch Jamie play again, he couldn’t bring himself to act unprofessionally by rearranging his appointments. He’d hopefully have plenty more times to go see Jamie play live; Tyler focused on that logic as he tapped out a reply.

_I have appointments tomorrow sorry :( another time._

_Unfortunately that’s a serious one this time, not going to be surprising you tomoz._

**_Don’t worry it was late notice I know. How about dinner after instead?_ **

Tyler bit his lip, his heart felt like it was doing somersaults in his chest.

_Dinner sounds really good :) x_

**_It’s your choice, we could go out to a restaurant or we could just go to Mcdonalds or we could order takeaway or something. X_ **

_Just because the first date was at Mcdonalds, doesn’t mean the rest of them should be!_

_Come to mine for Dinner tomoz?_

Tyler’s felt his insides turn to good as the next text came through. Balancing his half-drunk mug between his legs, Tyler clutched his phone to his chest as he laid down.

**_It’s a date. X_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italic Texts - Tylers text messages  
> Bold Italic Texts - Jamie's text messages  
> Bold Underline Texts - Jordie texting
> 
>  
> 
> I feel like I have just set Jamie up for an interrogation. Let the dating at glacial speed begin!


	20. Chapter 20

In the morning, Jamie was exuberant as he awoke to a text message instead of his alarm. His sheets still smelt like Tyler, adding to the happiness from the day before as he rolled over to grab his phone. His heart felt like it was being squeezed, a comforting feeling instead of an unpleasant one.

_Any allergies? Don’t want to kill you just yet. x_

**_No allergies, I will eat pretty much anything._ **

Jamie smiled as he watched the little dots signalling Tyler was typing a reply. He already felt like it was going to be a good morning before he even had his first cup of coffee. He’d fallen asleep with thoughts of Tyler on his mind, and he’d now woken up to Tyler’s messages.

_Good good. I aint gonna bullshit you. Nat’s already banned me from the kitchen tonight. I can only cook grilled cheese._

**_I love grilled cheese, just saying._ **

_Cheesy Chubs. Cheesy._

Jamie chuckled to himself as he kicked the covers off his body. The floor was cold against his bare feet as he tugged a shirt over his head and stumbled out of his room. Jordie was already in the kitchen, a bowl of cereal in his hands as he glanced up at his little brother. Jamie enjoyed the silence knowing that it would eventually be stolen away from him. Jordie remained tight-lipped, waiting until Jamie had poured his own bowl of cereal and had a fresh cup of coffee before he uttered a word.

“So is Tyler going to be surprising us all this afternoon?” Jordie teased, deliberately slurping the milk in the bottom of his bowl.

Jamie grimaced at the lack of manners, their mother would have slapped them around the back of the head if they’d dared do that in her proximity. “He’s working today, but I’m going over to his after.”

“Don’t forget condoms.”

Jamie blushed as he huffed at his brother. There was no point in trying to convince Jordie that Tyler and he were taking it slowly; he knew that he’d be asked why, and that wasn’t Jamie’s story to tell. After Tyler had told Jamie that he’d been in the military, Jamie had pieced together little bits of information. He figured that Tyler didn’t want people to know about his past, considering that he hadn’t provided his ranking when he’d been with the Peverley’s in the locker room the previous game. Jamie wasn’t going to be the one to reveal it; it wasn’t his story to tell.

Instead of shooting a remark back at Jordie, Jamie continued spooning his breakfast into his mouth. They had a practise session in the morning, followed by a quick return home for pre-game nap and a 10AM bowl of pasta.

 

Coach Lindy bullied his team that morning, pushing them harder than he normally did when it was an afternoon game day. Jamie felt like this was Lindy’s way of punishing him for his actions the day before. He knew that he was lucky not to have landed himself a healthy scratch; if it had been any other player, they wouldn’t have been dressing for the game. It was for that reason Jamie took the punishment that befell upon him, smiling apologetically at the sweaty faces of his teammates when he skated past them. He knew that Lindy wouldn’t push them to the point where they were jeopardising the afternoon game, but Jamie was already aching for his nap when he finally stepped off the ice.

The rest of the team staggered on shaky legs back into the locker room, the times written on the board told them all what time they had to be back at the rink. Just looking at the time made Jamie feel tired as he mentally calculated how much time he would have to get some sleep. Three hours seemed like so little time as he stripped from his practise gear. He knew that the temporary tiredness was just the side-effect from the practise; Jamie would be wide eyed and ready by the time the puck dropped.

Jordie drove them back to the apartment, whilst Jamie sat in the passenger seat with his feet on the dashboard. Tyler had sent him photos of the tattoo’s that he was working with, sending a photo of the few small designs that he had already completed that morning. Jamie leaned back against the head rest as he slowly tapped out a reply.

**_Looking good. I like the little moon one._ **

It was a basic design, but it worked well. It was the eclipse cycle of the moon, running up the side of a delicate hand. There was no elaborate detail in the design, but there didn’t need to be when you considered the size of the tattoo.

_It’s cool, but hand tattoos can fade something rotten._

Jamie chuckled as he locked his phone, earning a raised eyebrow from Jordie in response. “Tyler?”

Nodding in response, Jamie relaxed his body into the seat. By the time Jordie had pulled up in the apartment blocks parking garage, Jamie was slowly falling asleep. The lift upto the apartment and the walk to the front door were a blur as Jamie focused on getting back to his bed.

 

The game was simultaneously exhausting and exhilarating. The Anaheim Ducks destroyed them in the first period, netting three goals whilst the Stars were unable to make any shots count. The second period evened the score, but also left Jamie sitting in the box twice. The second time was from a roughing call, that had him shouting explicit complaints at the referees. He didn’t deny that he’d been the one to throw the first punch, after a duck ran down Antti; Jamie had been pissed that the duck didn’t receive a penalty as well. The punch had caught Jamie on his jaw, and the mark had already began discolouring as Jamie was pushed into the penalty box.

The Stars won the game 4-3, and Jamie rushed through the media. He worked his way through his warm-down exercises at his normal pace, before taking his time in the shower. He didn’t want to turn up to his dinner with Tyler still smelling of sweat. Jamie was one of the last out of the showers as he redressed in casual clothes. His game day suit was carefully put away into his bag; Jamie had decided earlier in the day that a suit was unsuitable for a casual dinner date at home.

Jamie gingerly poked the bruise that was forming on his jaw, as he checked his reflection in the locker room mirror. The bruise was miscolouring his skin, staining his jaw a mix of blue and purple. The bruise throbbed uncomfortable as Jamie made his way to his car with his bag. He knew that Tyler hadn’t been able to watch the game, so he wondered what his reaction would be to the mark. When he’d dropped back into his stall after the second period, he had found a message from Tyler, but there had been no mention of hockey. Jamie sent a quick message to Tyler stating he was just leaving the rink.

Jamie and Jordie had travelled down to the arena in separate cars, meaning Jamie didn’t have to worry about dropping his brother off at the apartment as he inched his car out of the carpark. The gameday traffic had quietened down, most of the fans leaving as soon as the game finished. Normally the team could get out about half an hour after the game had finished, but it was closer to an hour for Jamie.

It was nearly half past six when Jamie parked in front of the Peverley’s house. The ground floor was lit up, looking inviting as Jamie walked up the steps to the front door. Knocking on the navy blue door, Jamie smiled when he saw Tyler approaching on the other side of the glass. Waving through the glass, Jamie grinned manically when Tyler opened the door.

“Hey,” Tyler smiled before nervously closing the space between them. Jamie was left wanting more as Tyler kissed him softly. Reaching forwards, Jamie slowly wrapped his arms around Tyler, holding him in place even after they broke the kiss.

“Hi,” Jamie whispered, brushing his nose against Tyler’s. The move earned him a twinkle of a giggle as Tyler slipped his hand into Jamie’s.

“Come on, I’ll give you a quick tour before we eat. Nat said it shouldn’t be too long.” Tyler grinned as he gently pulled Jamie through the front door. Closing it behind them, Jamie allowed himself to be led around the downstairs of the house. Apart from the office to the left, the ground floor was laid out in an open plan. The hallway merged with the living room, which linked into the kitchen from the dining space. The dining table was already laid out with four placements set up on the big table. Jamie smiled as he was led past the table and into the kitchen.

Nat and Rich Peverley were working around each other like a choreographed dance. Jamie watched entranced as they seamlessly moved together, stepping out of the others way and passing things without a word being uttered. Nat spun to greet them first, a big welcoming smile across her face as she waddled over to pull Jamie into a friendly hug. “It’s nice to see you again Jamie,” she greeted, stepping aside so that Rich could offer a handshake in greeting.

“It’s just us for dinner tonight, Alisia is at a sleepover and Keaton is already asleep.” Nat explained over her shoulder as she returned to what she was working on at the counter. Jamie remembered Tyler mentioning Keaton, the Peverley’s two year old son.

“He’ll probably wake up in a few hours when he hears new people. He’s a nosey little bugger,” Rich explained with a grin as Nat turned and pretended to brandish a knife at her husband.

Tyler giggled at the display, whispering into Jamie’s ear, “Nat is the definition of mother hen.”

“I heard that,” Nat huffed, as she turned to Jamie, knife no longer in hand, “I keep trying to explain to these two idiots that no one is allowed to insult my babies other than me. Even if Keaton is a nosey little shit.”

Jamie cackled as Rich retorted, “He’s just like his mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't even realise it had been a week since I update this! 
> 
> Regardless, hope you enjoy. Just trying to figure out a couple of things for the fic. Hopefully that means back to regular updating.


	21. Chapter 21

The house smelt heavenly as Nat stirred the pot on the stove, the spices in the food perfuming the kitchen.  Tyler and Jamie had shifted so that they were stood in the corner of the kitchen, out of the way of the chefs. Tyler had beamed when Jamie had offered to help; Nat had politely declined, but it was the offer that mattered. Tyler had caught the small smile Nat and Pev’s had shared, knowing that they’d also approved of the politeness. He forced himself not to laugh at the comment that teased the tip of his tongue, ‘It was like he was bringing Jamie home to meet his parents.’ In a way it was; Nat and Pev’s had done so much for him, and Tyler genuinely considered them as family.

The food was nearly done. The garlic bread had already been removed from the oven and was sat in a serving basket on the dining room table, and Nat was taking the pot off the heat. Grabbing the bottle of wine that was waiting on the counter, Tyler’s stomach rumbled as he led Jamie over to the dining table, “Hope you’re okay with Chilli?”

“Definitely, it smells amazing.” Jamie grinned enthusiastically. Tyler couldn’t help himself as he stepped forwards, kissing Jamie chastely.

“Save some room for dessert Tyler.” Pev’s teased as he sidestepped around the couple, armed with a serving bowl the size of a dustbin lid. The bowl was nearly overflowing, on one side was a sea of chilli, and on the other side sat mountains of rice. Tyler inched backwards with a soft smile on his face and Jamie’s hand clutched in his. Nat waddled after her husband, her hand cupping her belly as she lowered herself into one of the dining chairs.

“Don’t stop on my account,” Nat winked. Tyler swore at her with a hand gesture as he pulled out the chair opposite. Jamie smirked at the exchanged between them, biting his lip when Nat returned Tyler’s gesture with one of her own. Tyler was the first to laugh, his giggle breaking through his grin as he accepted one of the glasses of wine that Pev’s had began pouring for the table. Nat turned to Jamie with a laugh of her own, “Help yourself to food quick before these two get their hands on it. You’d think they were starving.”

Pev’s gasped elaborately at his wife’s words, a hand coming up to clutch at his chest in fake shock. “I’m making up for lost time.”

The tone of the dinner was set in stone when Nat’s response turned out to be a slice of garlic bread being launched at her husband’s head. The table erupted into laughter as the bread bounced off Pev’s forehead and landed on the floor. Pev’s continued as if nothing had occurred, ladling food onto his plate. Tyler grinned around a spoonful of chilli when he heard the little whisper that Pev’s shared with Jamie, “That’s the real reason it looks like we’re feeding an army. Most of it gets chucked around at some point.”

 

Bar the initial slice of garlic bread, there was no food thrown around through the meal. The four of them relaxing into their seats with content sighs when they were no longer able to eat anymore. Nat and Pevs had kept the conversation flowing through the meal, with easy questions and non-invasive topics. Tyler was content, he had a belly full of food and Jamie had placed a hand on his knee when they had both finishing eating.

“Are you going to hurt Tyler?” Nat’s words brought a chill to the table, and Tyler felt Jamie’s hand squeeze his knee a little bit harder. Tyler’s voice was caught in his throat, unable to find the words to take the mood of the evening back to what it was only a minute before.

“I have no intention of hurting Tyler.” Jamie replied, his hand slipping away from Tyler’s knee. Tyler instantly missed the comforting heat that had radiated from the touch, but his loss was only momentary as Jamie instead moved to entwine their fingers together; their joined hands sitting on the table between them. Tyler glanced to his side, returning the small smile that Jamie offered him as their eyes met. They were only words, but he believed them as the tension faded away from Tyler’s body.

The smile on Nat’s face returned, slowly easing the tension that had encircled the table. “Well I approve, your turn Rich.”

Tyler closed the small space between his and Jamie’s chair, resting his head against Jamie’s shoulder. He hummed in happiness when he felt Jamie shift, resting his head against Tyler’s. Tyler returned the easy smile that Nat shone at them, feeling utterly at peace even with the prospect of Pev’s upcoming interrogation.

“You best take care of my brother; I still have my gun.” Pev’s warned with a clownish smile. Tyler rolled his eyes into Jamie’s shoulder, smirking at the audible inhale that made Jamie’s shoulders rise with the breath.

“If we’re all done with the threats,” Tyler pouted as he hugged Jamie’s arm. Jamie brushed a kiss against his curls in a silent reply, whilst Nat and Pev’s smiled approvingly across at them.

“I’m going to bring in the cookies. Alisia helped make them earlier on,” Nat announced, rising from her chair. Before she could even reach across to lift the half-empty serving bowl, Jamie was on his feet and taking it away from her hands. Tyler and Pevs watched bemused as Nat attempted to argue with Jamie, insisting that she didn’t need help cleaning the table. The argument continued as Nat followed Jamie into the kitchen, trailing after him holding the one plate that he’d purposefully left on the table.

“I think he’d definitely going to be good for you Ty, he’s always going to be welcome here okay,” Pev’s rose from the table and walked around it, squeezing Tyler’s shoulder in passing. Tyler watched as his friend crouched down by small ottoman that was in the dining room. The ottoman was filled with board games and card games, and Tyler returned the devilish grin that Pev’s shot him as a black box was fished out. “One last test.”

 

Jamie Benn was both filthy and dark; it was definitely something that Tyler hadn’t expected as they sorted out the cards after they’d finished a hilarious game of Cards Against Humanity. Tyler felt like he’d been sat next to a completely different person as the pile of black cards piled up higher and high in front of Jamie. The Jamie whose idea of an insult was to call someone a donkey, was the one coming out with lines such as, ‘When I am President, I will create the Department of _Leading a country to war on false pretenses,_ ’ and ‘What brought the orgy to a grinding halt? _Child Protective Services._ ’

The game ended with Pev’s reading from the black card, ‘This is your captain speaking, Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for…’

Tyler hadn’t thought to question the guilty expression on Jamie’s face when he’d pushed the card across the table to Pev’s. He didn’t even bother reading the cards that Tyler and Nat had provided, “This is your captain speaking, Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for… September 11th, 2001.”

Jamie’s cheeks had been red from blushing and laughing as Tyler gaped at his twisted humour and the Peverley’s pounded on the table in-between their howling laughter. Pev’s threw the black card onto Jamie’s pile, exclaiming as he grabbed the box to pack everything away, “It’s official, Tyler you’re keeping him.”

Jamie smirked at Tyler as they shovelled the cards into colour coded piles, “Sorry.”

“You saying sorry for winning, or saying sorry cause you’re dark as fuck.” Tyler huffed, fighting to keep the smile off his face as he crossed his arms and waited for Jamie’s response.

“Both,” Jamie grimaced, a chuckle escaping between his gritted teeth.

 Tyler shook his head as his mask crumpled, the smile spreading across his cheeks as he leant over and clasped Jamie’s head in-between his hands. He pulled Jamie forwards slightly, closing the space between them. Tyler broke away from the kiss with a smacking noise that resonated between them. 

“I’m going to call it a night. It was lovely to have you Jamie, I hope you come and join us for games night again when you can.” Nat rose from her chair, running a hand over her husbands’ short hair as she went.

Jamie glanced at his watch, eyes widening as he saw the time. It was nearly midnight; the hours had flown by, aided by good food, fun games and great company. “I think I’m going to call it as well. Thank you, it was a great evening,” Jamie praised as he stood up from the table. Tyler rose with him, clutching hold of Jamie’s hand as they walked towards the front door.

At the front door, Jamie patted down his pockets, checking that he’d collected everything before turning to face Tyler with his entire body. Tyler stepped closer, pressing himself against Jamie’s front. His hands clung onto the front of Jamie’s jacket as Jamie’s hand ran through his curls. They kissed as if the other was their source of oxygen, only breaking apart when they felt the need to gasp for air. “What was that for?” Tyler asked, the space between them was still non-existent and his words came out breathlessly.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Jamie whispered, kissing him gently.

“You’ve in town for a few more days yet.” Tyler reminded, melting into the embrace as Jamie squeezed his arms around him tighter.

“But then I’m away for eight.” Jamie reminded with a pout. Tyler reached up, running his finger along the protruding lip. They both chuckled softly when Jamie pretended to snap his teeth at the finger. “Okay I have to actually go now.”

It was Tyler’s turn to pout as they moved apart. Jamie had a foot out of the front door when he turned and grasped Tyler by the back of the neck, pulling him forwards once more into a spine-tingling kiss. Jamie’s tongue danced across his lips, and foxtrot with Tyler’s as they clung to each other.

“Miss you,” Jamie whispered against Tyler’s lips. Tyler watched Jamie’s back as he walked down the front steps. A wave goodbye was offered as Jamie climbed into his car; Tyler stayed in the doorway watching as the car purred awake and disappeared down the street. He closed the front door, feeling oddly empty as he realised that he understood Jamie’s words. He missed him already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep saying this in most of my writing, my headcanon for Jamie is that he is a kinky little bastard, and he has a perfect little awkwardness that he hides behind. I mean the donkey comment was something that he has quoted the Blues Players as the other day.   
> I also had to include some Cards against Humanity; and when writing it I also imagined just the guys playing those kind of games when travelling on the plane. I think that may be the next one shot. 
> 
> There are so many little things I want to include in the plot to this fic, but the timeline is getting tight. I follow the old schedules and results for the stories, which works up until the point where your current timeline point is the 27th of October, and Jamie comes out on the 22nd of December.


	22. Chapter 22

**_29 th or 31st?_ **

_Trick or treating with Lissy and Keaton :(_

_Can make the 29 th though. _

**_Awesome. How many tickets?_ **

_Just the one if that’s okay._

**_That’s fine, will sort it and message you the ticket._ **

**_Want to hang out after the game?_ **

_Yes Chubs._

Jamie grinned at his phone, ignorant of the chirps that Jordie and the rest of the team were shouting across the locker room at him. With permission, Jordie had taken pleasure in informing the rest of the team about Jamie’s latest relationship development; the team had figured something was up when Jamie had been rushing around like a headless chicken after the win against Anaheim. As soon as Jamie walked into the locker room for practice, the cheering and jokes had started. Spezza and Sharpy crooned like proud parents, wrapping an arm around Jamie’s shoulders and swaying him from side to side. Klinger and Val whooped with Jordie whenever Jamie tried to say anything; the combined noise of the three of them drowning out any words Jamie tried to say.

Coach Lindy finally shut down the banter after it continued for fifteen uninterrupted minutes. Jamie wondered if they should start keeping a tally as Lindy shouted his favourite phrase, “Why aren’t you all in your gear and on the ice!”

Jamie nodded appreciatively at Coach as he sat down into his stall, snorting at the raised eyebrow he received in return. Coach had operated an open-door policy since he’d been appointed head coach; his office was open and he was always willing to help his players with homelife and hockey. Jamie knew that whilst he didn’t particularly care for the fifteen minutes of practise that had just been wasted gossiping, he would eventually drop little comments at opportune moments that would leave the rest of the team howling with laughter.

As expected, the opportune moment came when Jamie stepped onto the ice decked out in practise gear, Coach’s shout echoed around the rink, “Nice to see you here with us today Benn!”

 

* * *

 

_Do not laugh, and do not show Jordie._

**_I’m scared to ask what your going on about Ty._ **

_Lissy wanted us all to have matching Halloween costumes._

Jamie howled at his phone as the photo came through, Tyler stood with Lissy in front of him and Keaton held in his arms. The three of them were all in matching costumes like Tyler had said, but nothing could have prepared Jamie for the photo. Lissy was dressed up in a bright pink gown with a little crown perched on her head, whilst Tyler stood in bright blue overalls, a red jumper and an iconic plumber hat. Keaton really completed the picture, in a little Bowser costume.

_I know your laughing Chubs!_

Jamie giggled as he typed out a reply. Part of him wanted to save the picture, but the logical part of his brain reminded him that Jordie was a nosey bastard and would undoubtedly look through his photos. Jamie clicked save regardless of the logic; he knew that if his brother got hold of his phone, he’d go through his text messages and find the photo anyway.

**_That is the best thing I have ever seen._ **

**_I am now fucking gutted I have a game that night._ **

_You can join us as Luigi next year._

**_Should we bring Jordan as Donkey Kong?_ **

_I was thinking Wario._

Jamie ached for the reality, imagining them all walking the streets on Halloween with the Peverley’s and the kids. Lissy would be running ahead, dragging Jordie with her and Keaton would be clinging at Tyler’s hand, whilst Jamie held the other, Nat and Rich would be walking besides them with the new baby in their arms. He then pictured Tyler curled into his side at the team Halloween party, which never manged to fall on the actual day.

**_Let’s be honest, Jordie doesn’t need a costume. Scary enough as he is._ **

Jamie left his phone to rest on his bed as he heard the oven timer go off. His body felt delightfully sore as he slowly walked into the kitchen. Jordie was already there dividing the food between two waiting plates. Jamie accepted the plate that was pushed towards him with an eye roll. “Say what you want to say so we can hurry up and eat,” Jordie stated as he dragged the half empty bottle of ketchup from the fridge.

Jamie snatched the bottle of sauce from his brothers hands, “Tyler is coming to the game tomorrow.”

Jordie groaned loudly, but the large smile that filled his face broke the illusion that he was disgruntled, “Does that mean I’m sofa surfing again.”

Resisting the urge to throw the ketchup bottle at his brother’s head, Jamie settled for squeezing a dollop onto the side of his plate. Chicken and chips with a side of asparagus, just to add some green to the plate. “No. Just wanted to let you know.”

Jordie shrugged in response, leaving Jamie to take the action as an acceptance. He didn’t even know if Tyler was going to stay over like he had done the previous time. Jamie didn’t even know if they were going to join the rest of the team at their usual bar, or if they would go off on their own. What Jamie did know was, he had three days left before the next away trip, and then he wouldn’t be back in Dallas for nine days; It was the longest period they would be away for on this side of Christmas.  Jamie felt like his time was being stretched thin, which he was mildly panicked by. The schedule felt hectic in a way that Jamie hadn’t felt for years; he knew it was because he was struggling to find time for Tyler in between practises, game days, meetings and travelling. Jamie hoped desperately that he would get used to the feeling and figure out a way to feel less constricted by it all.

 

* * *

 

Jamie had managed to secure a seat in the front row; a season ticket holder hadn’t been able to make the game and Jamie had claimed the available seat straight away. He had contemplated arranging it for Tyler to join the team’s families but had decided against the fleeting idea quickly. He wanted to be by Tyler’s side to ease any nerves or discomfort when he first met everyone. Some of the guys and partners tended to congregate together for Thanksgiving, and Jamie contemplated inviting Tyler to come with him to the big dinner Sharpy was organising. Most of the team had accepted the invite that Sharpy had offered, leaving Jamie to wonder if had friend had actually thought his idea through.

Jamie skated his way through warm up with a huge smile on his face every time he flew past Tyler’s occupied seat. Tyler had already been sat down in the front row when Jamie had come barrelling out of the tunnel; he had automatically scanned his eyes around the arena searching for curly hair and dark stubble. Tyler was once again dressed in the green jersey, leaving Jamie with a happiness that warmed his stomach.

He skated through the warm up drills, before coming to a stop in front of Tyler’s section. Next to Tyler’s seat, a young woman stood with a young child on her hip. The child was no older than six and was tapping his fists against the glass, whilst the woman held up a sign with her free hand.  The sign read, ‘Find someone who looks @ you the way Jamie Benn looks @ Ketchup Chips,’ and was complete with a photo of him and a picture of Ketchup chips.

Jamie couldn’t fight the grin on his face as he read the sign, a loud laugh escaping his lips as he grabbed one of the warm up pucks from the ice. Flipping it over the glass, Jamie winked at Tyler as the woman and child bounced up and down, the puck clutched in the little boys’ hands.  The klaxon rang out, Jamie shared a final smile with Tyler before turning to skate back towards the bench.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the sign that was mentioned was one I saw someone holding when I went to see Stars vs Penguins in March and it made me laugh so much.
> 
> I have the timeline for the fic nearlly set in stone and I think I have the plot points all finalised bar one. Exciting times ahead.


	23. Chapter 23

Tyler stayed in his seat after Jamie scored on the overtime goal, waiting as the rest of the stands piled out around him. His earbuds that he used when he’d been to the previous game were once more in action tonight, but he was left feeling on edge without having Nat and Pevs as buffers to the crowd. The guy in the seat next to him had taken it upon himself to try to communicate with Tyler throughout the game, persisting even when he realised Tyler was struggling to make out his words. Tyler had flinched the first time the guy had grabbed at his shoulder on the Stars first goal, a full body shudder that had the man immediately pull his hand back. Tyler was thankful that although the stranger kept trying to talk to him, he’d made a conscious effort to keep some space between their arm rests. 

Whilst the rest of the audience rose to their feet and began the slow shuffle out of the arena, Tyler waited for the attendant to come and gather him from his seat. It was the same guy who had escorted him to the locker room the time before, and he remained silent as they walked around lingering fans. Tyler didn’t know if the guy wasn’t saying anything because he didn’t have anything to say or if he simply wasn’t allowed to question why some random guy was once again going to the locker room for the second time in the space of a week.

He wasn’t dropped off at the locker room doors this time, instead the attendant left him at the door to the kitchen area. The room was empty as Tyler slowly inched his way inside; just like last time, food and drinks were piled on the counters and tables ready for the picking. His stomach rumbled slightly at the sight, he hadn’t eaten since lunchtime and he didn’t have the mental strength to face the crowds and the queues during intermission. Tyler couldn’t bring himself to grab anything, the anxiety pit in his chest had been bubbling for most of the game, and it threatened to spill over as he imagined the possibilities of what might happen if he took a piece of food that wasn’t intended for him.

“Man I am fucking exhausted.” A blonde man announced as he burst through the door, diving at a box of pizza. Tyler watched the as the blonde piled slices onto a plate, as he tried to remember his name. He was not ashamed to admit that nearly all the players had blended together when they’d done introductions leaving him with a blur of names and faces.

“Leave some for everyone else Klinger!” Sharpy chortled, strutting into the room with his ever-perfect hair. The blonde’s name flashed across Tyler’s brain, John Klingberg; he tried not to look embarrassed, even though no one else was aware of his little blip in his memory. Tyler leaned awkwardly against the counter, watching as the two hockey players bickered over the pizza.

“By the way Seggy, help yourself to anything you want,” Sharpy cut away from whatever debate he’d been having with Klinger, turning to face Tyler with an empty plate offered out in front of him. Tyler accepted the plate with a mumbled thank you, the nickname tugging at memories of different times. He walked the line of pizza boxes, Sharpy followed him throwing food on his own plate. Tyler avoided the ones with pineapple, settling on simple pepperoni much to Sharpy’s distaste, “Oh god, not another boring one.”

Tyler shrugged, casting a glance at the mountain of ingredients on the slice on Sharpy’s plate. “It’s a classic,” he quipped. Sharpy howled in response, slapping Tyler on the shoulder. He didn’t directly flinch away from the touch, but the muscles in his back tightened reflexively.

 

Tyler was only halfway through his first slice of pizza, the unease in his stomach settling as he joined in the chirpy banter with Sharpy and Klingberg, when Jamie finally appeared in the room.  Jamie dropped into the seat next to him, immediately snatching a slice from Tyler’s plate. Tyler stared wide mouth at the blatant theft, the twinkle in Jamie’s eye daring him to call him out on it.  Huffing in response, Tyler grinned around his own slice of pizza when Jamie reached under the table and squeezed his knee in greeting.

“Nice goal chubs,” Tyler smiled after he swallowed his food, his voice was purposefully quiet so that only Jamie could hear his words.

“Thanks,” Jamie grinned throwing a bunched-up napkin at Sharpy’s face when the man started to mime gagging at them. “We’re just waiting on Jordie and then we can head back to mine.”

“I hope Jordie has earplugs.” Klingberg winked, shaking Sharpy’s shoulders as they cackled in unison. Tyler rolled his eyes; Jamie had forewarned him that the guys were going to inevitably going to act like morons around them. It was all good-natured banter, and it didn’t wind Tyler up as much as he’d thought it would. The banter only escalated when Tyler found himself leaning into Jamie’s side as they shared the food of the plate in between them.

“Jordie, hurry up and get over here before they end up sharing a chair!” Sharpy catcalled. Tyler glanced over his shoulder at the door, eyes scanning the rest of the room quickly after glimpsing Jordie piling up food on a plate. Tyler never usually liked sitting with his back to the room, an old habit from his days in Afghanistan, which had only developed with the anxiety that had plagued him since he’d returned home. Sharpy and Klingberg had claimed the two seats on the other side of the table when they’d sat down leaving Tyler with no option but to sit with his back to the room. Jamie’s hand on his knee had reassured his nerves, allowing the hair on the back of his neck to settle.

The scrape of a chair being dragged across the floor made Tyler jump violently in his seat, his heart thumping even when he saw it was only Jordie smiling sheepishly as he plopped down on the end of the small table. Tyler had dropped his hand down to cover Jamie’s hand on his knee, squeezing it tightly as he blinked the imaginary sand from his eyes. A shaky breath escaped his lips as Jamie adjusted their hands, leaving their fingers interlocked. Dropping his eyes into his lap, Tyler could see the white marks he was leaving on Jamie’s hand from how tightly he was squeezing.

“You want to head out now?” Jamie whispered, seemingly oblivious to the pressure Tyler was applying to his hand. Tyler shook his head at the words, the taste of pizza that had been clinging to his tongue now felt like dust. He could sense the eyes of the rest of the guys on them, the raised eyebrows were all the words that were needed.

 

Despite the win that night, the team weren’t going to the bar like they had done the time before. Jamie had tried to explain to Tyler how the teams schedule worked, but it went flying over his head; all he could really gather was that they were very busy and had practice sessions or games on most days. The players only got a few days a month where they were completely free from practice, traveling and games.

Instead of going to the bar, Tyler found himself once more curled up in the front seat of Jamie’s car, listening to Jordie bitching in the backseat. Sleep was already trying to steal him away from the world of the living, and Tyler was happy for that to happen. He dozed as they drove, the traffic lights flashing at his eyelids. He forced his eyes open when he felt a hand gently shaking at his shoulder, Jamie’s whispering voice barely audible over the soft slam of a car door closing. “We’re here sleeping beauty.”

Tyler hummed in response, reluctantly pulling himself out of the car. Jordie was already walking ahead of them, heading towards the elevator. Tyler fell into step next to Jamie as they followed after Jordie, their shoulders brushing with every step. Jordie had been nice enough to hold the door for them, his finger pressed on the button until they caught up to him. Tyler felt himself lean into Jamie’s side, pulling away reluctantly when the elevator door opened on the 25th floor.

Jordie opened the front door, quickly disappearing off into the kitchen leaving Jamie and Tyler standing in the hallway. “You want to watch a movie or something in my room?” Jamie blushed, rubbing absently at the back of his neck.

“Only if I get to steal one of your shirts.” Tyler smiled as he rubbed at his eyes. He felt slightly gritty after his little nap in the car, his eyes still felt like they were covered in sleep dust.

Jamie snorted as he led the way back to his bedroom, grabbing a t-shirt and a pair of sleep pants for Tyler and himself. Like the time he’d stayed before, Jamie handed a set over to Tyler before disappearing off into the bathroom to change. Tyler alternated between staring at the clothes and looking at the door Jamie disappeared behind. Kicking his shoes off, he toed off his socks before slowly stripping out of his jersey, and the t-shirt he’d worn underneath. Tugging the shirt Jamie had provided over his head, Tyler paused as he popped the top button on his jeans. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he pushed his jeans down his hips, letting them pool on the floor at his feet. Tyler quickly folded at his clothes, piling them on top of the sleep-pants that Jamie had left. Standing in just a t-shirt and underwear, Tyler felt his own blush burning his cheeks when Jamie knocked cautiously on the door.

“Yh you can come back in.” Tyler stuttered, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around himself. Tyler watched Jamie freeze in his step as he looked Tyler up and down.

“Ok wow,” Jamie breathed, the red in his cheeks easily rivalling Tyler’s.

Tyler slowly walked forwards, closing the space between them. With shaking fingers, he placed his hands-on Jamie’s shoulders; closing the last few inches between them, Tyler gently pressed his lips against Jamie’s. Sighing into the kiss, Tyler melted further into the touch when Jamie’s arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

The kiss was chaste and left Tyler smiling when they pulled apart. Jamie’s hand grasped at his, entwining their fingers as he led them to the bed. “Come on, movie time.”

Unlike the first time they shared a bed, Tyler wrapped himself like an octopus around Jamie. His head resting on Jamie’s shoulder as they scrolled through the lists on Netflix.  His eyes began fluttering before Jamie even selected a film.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww look at Tyler being flirty by showing a bit of leg!  
> Now the next chapter is pretty much written, so hopefully that will be uploaded at some point this week also.   
> The bad news, I finally have a new job; I quit my last one in March because they were 100 different levels of arseholes and I couldn't face going back. Now the new job means that I may be writing at a slightly slower pace, just because I can no longer stay up to ridiculous hours in the morning. But on the other side I do have to travel 40 mintues to get there and back, meaning it increases the chances of me screaming in my car when I get hit with inspiration.


	24. Chapter 24

Tyler snuffled into his pillow when a hand carefully scraped through his curls before resting on the back of his neck. He attempted to wiggle away from the warm touch, moaning wordlessly in his half-asleep state. Blinking against the dryness of his eyes, Tyler mumbled “What.”

“I need to head to the rink for practice, go back to sleep.” Jamie soothed, teasing the hairs at the base of Tyler’s neck.

“M’okay,” Tyler agreed, his hands tightening their grasp on the edges of the duvet.

“I’ll drive back after practice and we can go get lunch if you want?” Tyler caught the affectionate smile that Jamie sent down at him. Stretching his legs out wide on the bed, Tyler arched his back into the stretch moaning at the simple pleasure of the move.

“Let me know what time you finish, I’ll come meet you at the rink.” Tyler offered instead as his bathed in the loving look Jamie was giving him. The smile on the hockey players face was so reassuring and left him feeling like he was the only person in the world.

“You sure?”

“Yeh, now go and let me sleep.” Tyler grinned, purposefully rolling just out of Jamie’s grasp. He pulled the duvet up to his mouth, hiding his smile when Jamie leaned over him and kissed him on the forehead.

“I’ll see you at 12, I’ll leave you my pass so you can get in.”

 

* * *

 

The sun was slightly higher in the sky, and the apartment was silent when Tyler opened his eyes once more. He hummed in content as he rolled over onto Jamie’s side of the bed. He spread himself like a starfish across the bed, smiling up at the ceiling; the duvet he was wrapped up in felt like it was injected with a layer of love and happiness.

Tyler forced himself to roll out of the bed, only half-tempted to pull the duvet off the bed with him. He had one of his days off from the studio today, so he indulged the luxury of his lie in. He and Pev’s both worked the weekends; their schedules were arranged so that they each had two days off during the week. Walking into the bathroom, Tyler found a folded towel was resting on top of the counter, a pair of socks and underwear resting on top. He smiled at the thoughtful gesture, pushing the underwear to one side, he shifted the towel so that it was the first thing in reach as Tyler stripped out of his sleep clothes.

 The shower in Jamie’s bathroom featured a large rainfall head that Tyler had instantly fallen in love with. The head covered the entire cubicle, which was already big enough to fit several people inside and the water fell down in a variety of settings. He stepped into the cubicle, pushing the heat dial to the max and set the water to fall with the same velocity as a rainstorm. The water pounded against his shoulders, blisteringly hot as it ran rivers down his body.

Tyler’s skin was flushed pink when he finally shut off the shower and wrapped the towel around his waist. The air in the room smelt of Jamie’s shampoo and shower gel, leaving Tyler smiling guiltily; there was a significant amount missing from each, but he hadn’t been able to resist encasing himself in a bubbly lather. The smell was so intoxicating, it left him feeling like Jamie was constantly wrapped around him.

Padding his way over to Jamie’s wardrobe, Tyler’s grin turned mischievous as he snatched a hoodie off a hanger. He brought the fabric to his nose, inhaling the deep smell of Jamie’s aftershave that was soaked into the fabric. Tyler had no intention of ever giving back the hoodie, he was prepared to fight for it if it was needed.

 

* * *

 

Jamie’s pass to get inside the rink was hidden deep in the bottom of Tyler’s pocket as he settled into a seat on the bus. It was delightfully empty; he was the only passenger as they drove away from the stop near Jamie’s apartment. The bus was not on his normal route but google had told Tyler where to go.  By the fourth stop the bus had started to fill with a trickle of people. The fifth stop drew his attention to the front.

Tyler raised an eyebrow and tightened his grip on the phone in his hoodie pocket as he watched the man at the front of the bus arguing with the driver. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen someone on the bus who was clearly tripping on something, and he knew that it wasn’t going to be the last time either. The price of the Dart services was undeniably cheap; he didn’t like voicing the opinion, but it did mean that the bus and the rail were often filled with unsavoury characters.

This guy was one of those characters. Tyler made a point to stare out the window as he listened intently to the raised voice of the bus driver as the guy continued holding off paying the full amount. Another one of the weird crowd jumped into the conversation, her voice echoing down the bus; she was no better than the guy at the front. Her words were slurred, and she was draped in what looked like a stained duvet. Tyler watched from the corner of his eye as she trounced down the walkway, duvet and all, brandishing a few dollars in her fist. Tyler sympathised with the bus driver as the guy at front took the ticket; the driver probably had to deal with a fair amount of abuse and bullshit in his day to day duties.

He didn’t know if it was the woman draped in a duvet or the sketchy guy, but someone on the bus was lacking in personal hygiene. Tyler rubbed absently at the bottom of his nose, hoping to block the smell of body odour by sniffing at his own skin, the smell of Jamie’s bodywash and cologne still perfuming him. He only had one more stop on the bus before he could transfer onto the rail and go meet Jamie at the American Airlines Centre.

It only took a few minutes for the bus to pull up at the DartRail station and Tyler was quick to rise to his feet and jump off as soon as the doors opened. There were a few people waiting on the platform, and the overheard sign said the next train was only a few minutes away. As he stood and waited, Tyler gathered his surrounding, watching those around him as he leaned his back against a pillar. The sketchy guy from the bus had jumped off as well and was wondering up and down the platform. Tyler could see him approaching people, and his fingers clenched in the pocket of his hoodie. In his mind he was already contemplating the list of things he could do to avoid communicating with the guy if he approached. His personal favourite idea was a method he had never had the nerve to do, despite all the times he wanted to when he walked into stores and immediately got accosted by the sales person there; there was no easier way of getting someone to back off then using sign language to say ‘Sorry I can’t hear you, I’m deaf.’

Tyler had never done it, though he thought about doing it several times. He didn’t want to be that arsehole and knowing his luck he’d do it to someone who could sign as well. Instead he decided to take his mothers approach when the sketchy guy inched his way closer to Tyler.

“You have a light?”

“Sorry no.” Tyler replied; his mother had always made a point to act friendly to people who came up to her on public transport, saying that it was better to act nice then to blatantly telling them to go away. You don’t know how they’re going to react, so don’t do something to provoke them. His sister Candace had never understood that approach, and Tyler knew that one day she was probably going to get punched for her abrasiveness.

“Okay, where you heading?” The sketchy guy asked.

Tyler instantly wished he’d followed Candace’s preferred method of dealing with creepers instead of his mothers. He flicked his eyes up and down the platform, hoping there was somebody nearby he could use to escape from the situation as he slowly replied, “Just heading into the city.” It was the vague truth, he didn’t want to give the exact stop to the guy.

“Oh cool. What’s your name by the way?”

“Tyler.”

“Mind if I ride with you Tyler?”

“Sure,” Tyler sighed uneasily as he watched the train approaching. His heart was already beating in his chest as his nerves prickled.

Climbing into the carriage, Tyler felt his heart drop at the general emptiness. Other than him, there was only one other passenger in this compartment. He purposefully sat down on an aisle seat, so no one could come and sit next to him. The hair on the back of his neck stood at attention as he angled his head slightly and watched the sketchy guy from the corner of his eye. The guy sat down two or three rows back from Tyler, but he could feel the stare on his back.

The train set off, and the anxious pit in the bottom of his stomach only darkened, forming a black hole that seemed to encase his insides. A sign running along the side of the carriage caught Tyler’s attention in a way it had never done before; See something, say something, Text Dart 214-256-1819. Tyler’s fingers tightened their grip on his phone in his pocket as he reread the sign. Dipping his chin to his shoulder, Tyler stealthily glanced at the sketchy guy again. He was still freaking him out and leaving him feeling uncomfortable. Another of the DartPolice signs further down the train was stating that you could ring or text if you needed help, and Tyler felt like he did. He was super aware of the guy as he discreetly pulled his phone from his pocket and began tapping out a message. His heart stopped when he pressed send and an error message popped up. He tried again, his fingers shaking as the panic spiralled away from his stomach and down his limbs. Another error message, try again, another error message.

“Tyler,”

“Tyler,”

“Tyler,”

The sketchy guy repeated his name in a hushed voice. Tyler wished the other passenger in the carriage could see his face, just so that he could mouth help at him. Instead the train pulled in at the next station, and the other passenger disembarked leaving Tyler alone in the carriage with the sketchy guy. His pulse was in his ears when sketchy guy moved seats, swapping to the seat directly behind Tyler’s. “I thought you said we could sit together.”

“We’re on the same train,” Tyler tried to joke, but the fake cheer in his voice did nothing to disguise the stammer. The humph that he received in response from the shady guy informed Tyler that he wasn’t impressed.

Tyler stared out the window, his heart pounding unpleasantly as the train began slowing for the next stop. He quickly rose to his feet when the doors opened, jumping down onto the platform as quickly as he could; the time of the day meant that the platform was nearly empty with only a handful of people dotted around. Tyler moved quickly, jogging down the platform before jumping back on in a different carriage. Falling down into the seat, his breath came out in rasps as the panic boiled to the surface. Tears ran down his cheeks as he put his feet on the chair and brought his knees upto his chest. Ducking his head low, Tyler felt his fear increase as he watched the shady guy slowly walking down the platform, his head spinning around searching. As the train began to pull away, Tyler saw the guy trail off the platform and the path, jumping a fence and beginning to walk towards a main road. The guys actions left Tyler feeling even more threatened in the situation; it was so unnerving, as if the guy had been planning on following Tyler even after he’d got off the train.

His hands were shaking violently as he pulled his phone from his pocket once more and scrolled down his pitifully empty list of contracts.

“Jamie.”

“Tyler! Whats wrong?”

Tyler couldn’t hold back the sob that left his throat, “Can you come meet me at the platform.”

“Yes. I’m on my way, are you on the rail now?”

Tyler could hear the mumblings of people talking at Jamie on the other side of the phone. He dropped his head down to rest on his knees, as he tried to focus on Jamie’s voice and the voices of his team that were barely audible through the receiver. “Yh on the rail.”

“Okay, I’m on my way okay. Stay on the line.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the entire incident on the Dartline is true, from the druggy wrapped in a duvet to the sketchy guy. The conversations are also exactly what was said both by myself and by the creeper. The Creeper on the train tried to attach himself to me, and when I jumped off and swapped carriages I watched him walking down the platform, jump a random fence and then walk across grassland to get upto a main road. And also fun fact the dartline number which is plastered everywhere on the Dart Services doesn't work on a UK mobile! 
> 
> I based Tyler's comments on his families interactions with creepers with my own family and how they are; my mother like Tylers plays nice with them, whilst my sister like Candace will be blatantly rude and probably tell them to fuck off. Both me and my other sister have said that she is going to get punched one day, (she was a nightmare when we used to go to London.) 
> 
> My sister may be blatantly rude, but I am the arsehole who knows how to sign and contemplates using it to stop people talking to me in shops. I never have let me just point out!


	25. Chapter 25

The funerals for his fallen brothers had filled his days after he’d returned home. The flag covered coffins had haunted his dreams long before the first funeral took place. He would wake in his childhood bedroom, with tears streaming down his face and his sheets drenched from cold sweat. He felt like his hands were still soaked in blood; he swore his hands were bright red when he would try to wipe the streams of tears away. His screams would wake his mum and his sisters; his mother would burst into the room and attempt to wrap him in a hug that he flinched away from, whilst Candace and Cassidy hovered in the doorway. His mothers whispered words did nothing to calm him, as she repeatedly soothed, “Your safe baby, your home.”

On the nights when Tyler didn’t wake up with a scream ripping from his throat, he was left to stare up at the old posters that covered the dark blue walls. He would sit on the hard floor, reading his high school books; he studied his old schoolbooks more than he did when he was still in school. His dress uniform hung from the peg on the back of the door, taunting him every night. In the first week home, he hadn’t spoken to Pev’s or Edward, nor had he reached out to any of the families of his deceased brothers. The first of the eight funerals was exactly two weeks after the ambush. Tyler didn’t sleep the night before; every time he closed his eyes, gunshots filled his ears and all he could see was the burning shell of an exploded car.

His mother had offered to accompany him to the funeral, but Tyler had politely declined. He dressed in his dress-uniform and drove the thirty miles to the location of the funeral in utter silence. Pev’s was already at the cemetery, donned in his own uniform. There was a wide gathering of people, both military and civilian already stood waiting when Tyler arrived. Pev’s had been a great aid in the orchestration of the funeral, sending emails to Tyler detailing what was going to happen and at what time, and what was expected of him to do. When the hearse arrived carrying the coffin of his brother, Private Connor Moon, Tyler was already stood waiting with seven other soldiers ready to carry the coffin.

It had been the first funeral he had ever gone to, and he fought against his quivering bottom lip, tears threatening to break his composure when Pev’s kneeled down in front of Connor Moon’s mother. The woman had a tissue clutched in her hands that could do nothing to stop the river of tears that were flowing down her cheeks; she sobbed loudly as she accepted the folded flag that she was presented. The words that Pev’s gave were whispered, but Tyler still caught them, “This flag is presented to you on the behalf of a grateful Nation, and I am so sorry for your loss.”

The rest of the funerals blurred together, all of them following the same style. Tyler had watched as flags were handed to parents, and to partners. He’d blinked away tears as he watched Private Jacob Kirby’s wife weep as she held her baby girl in her arms; that little girl would never get to meet her father. The last funeral scheduled was for Master Corporal Finn Davidson, and out of all the eight funerals, it was the one that Tyler was dreading the most. Davidson had always been there for him and had always offered a shoulder to lean on just like Pev’s had; the two men had been his anchor overseas. When Tyler had arrived at the cemetery, he had found Pev’s looking more defeated than he had ever looked before. Eight funerals pretty in quick succession had been soul destroying for all three surviving soldiers. Edward seemed to be coping better than Tyler was, but Tyler didn’t know if that was just for show or not. Pev’s so far had been strong enough for all of them, but it was different this time. Tyler understood that Pev’s and Davidson had been friends for far longer than he had known them, and he could only assume how much harder it must be for him today. Pev’s had been restrained and quiet when he pulled Tyler to the side before the hearse arrived, sorrow filled his eyes as he asked, “Can you present the flag, I don’t think I can.” Tyler had nodded, Pev’s slapping his shoulder once before they spotted the hearse coming up the drive.

Tyler’s world collapsed, and his entire body filled with hurt as he crouched down in front of Finn  Davidson’s eight year old son. The boy was fighting against his tears as Tyler held out the flag to him. He’d known that Davidson had his little boy, and that he’d separated from his wife, but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined having to hand over the flag with a whispered condolence to a child. Tyler could barely remember the rest of the funeral, he was unable to focus on anything but the sight of the child hugging the folded flag against his chest. The look of devastation on Pev’s face after the ceremony had told Tyler that even he hadn’t known that the child would be the one to accept the flag.

 

Tyler was sobbing, uncaring of the noise that he might be making when the DartRail finally pulled up at the Victory station. He could barely hear Jamie’s breath over the phone, his fingers still white knuckling the small device. Jamie had told him that he was waiting on the platform, and as the train stopped, Tyler could see him stood there waiting. His hair was messy, and his T-shirt was on backwards. Scrambling from the carriage, Tyler all but ran over to him, falling into his arms and burying his face in Jamie’s neck. Arms wrapped tightly around him, and soft shushing noises were soothed into his air. “You’re safe baby.”

Tyler cried louder, not caring if anyone was watching the spectacle. He didn’t care about anything but the safe circle that Jamie had created around him. Tyler was no longer a solider; he may hold the medals, and he may still carry the title, but he was not the same person.

 

* * *

 

Jamie felt a ball of dread fill his stomach as he boarded the plane for the road-trip. The team had four away games, and it meant they wouldn’t be back in town for eight days. His phone remained switched on in his hand up until the point where the wheels left the runway. He felt so uncomfortable leaving Tyler.

After the incident on the DartRail, Jamie had shepherded a distressed Tyler across the carpark and into the American Airlines Centre. Crouching down on the floor in the concourse, Jamie had listened as Tyler had explained what happened on the bus and the train. Jamie could see the fear in his eyes, and the tremor in his hands as he recalled the events. They had stayed sat down on the floor even after the story was finished. Jamie had pulled Tyler half into his lap and had bared his weight when Tyler leaned into the touch. Tyler sat between his thighs, his legs bracketing his hips, and had buried his head underneath Jamie’s chin. The tears had stopped falling, but his shirt still carried damp patches when they finally rose up from the floor.

Their lunch plans were postponed, Jamie agreeing to drive Tyler back to the Peverley’s home. He had offered to stay with him, but Tyler had thanked him and declined. Instead Jamie was left to watch as Tyler ran towards the front door after a departing kiss on the cheek. Jamie hadn’t seen Tyler face-to-face since then. The next day he had a game, and Tyler was meant to be taking Alisia and Keaton trick-or-treating.

_Enjoy trick-or-treating. Save me some candy._

**_Get your own candy Chubs!_ **

**_Nat’s took them, I couldn’t face it tonight._ **

_Do you need anything, or do you want to talk about it?_

**_Not at moment. Go win against the Sharks for me X_ **

Jamie had done as he was told, shooting the puck into the empty net at the end of the third period imagining he was shooting at the faceless creep who had terrified Tyler the day before. The Stars won 5-3, and Jamie stomped off the ice with a smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Opinions? 
> 
> I am not through bullying poor Tyler just yet. Poor boo


	26. Chapter 26

Tyler curled himself up underneath his duvet, the thick fabric draped over his shoulders comfortably in a way that eerily reminded him of the druggy on the bus. The Dallas Stars were playing on the television in the Peverley’s living room, but it was the Maple Leaf’s who were controlling the game. Tyler felt like a traitor as he pouted at the third goal the Leaf’s put past Niemi. It was odd for him to be cheering against the team that used to be his childhood favourite. As a kid he wished that he would one day be able to play for the Leaf’s; it was a dream he would never be able to achieve as his family never really had the spare funds to enrol him in the constant lessons that he would have needed. Instead of ice hockey, he would occasionally play a game of street hockey with an old stick and a plastic ball, and when he wasn’t doing that he would be doodling in his room.

Dreams were something he never achieved as a child or a teen. As a child he dreamed of playing ice hockey, and as a teen he dreamed of being accepted into art school. The doodles he used to draw as a child had transformed during middle school into elaborate sketches and paintings; his teachers encouraged him, complimenting him on his potential. One high school teacher even got him an internship at a tattoo parlour when he was sixteen, which resulted in him getting his first tattoo and earning his license. His parents had been furious when they found out about his afterschool job wasn’t stacking shelves in the library, and that night they had paused screaming at each other, shifting their yells onto him. They had been even more angry three months later when they saw the tiny paintbrush tattoo on his rib.

The Leaf’s put the puck in the back of the Stars net for the fourth time and then the game was over. Tyler just sat there watching as the two teams joined in the middle for the handshake line. He wondered what his life would have been like if he had played hockey, or what would have happened if he had been able to accept the scholarship to Boston University College of Fine Art. The scholarship that he’d been offered only covered a portion of his fees, and it was only then Tyler had found out his father had used his college fund as a deposit on a house. It had been in the middle of his parent’s divorce, a process that had been years in the making, and with no college fund he’d been left feeling like he had no other option. He went down to the recruiter’s office and signed up for the army.

The players departed the ice, and Tyler forced himself to rise from the couch. Nat and Pev’s watched him as he cuddled the duvet around himself as he moved. They were both watching him like he was made from cracked glass, as if he was about to break any second. Tyler wanted to feel annoyed at the concerned looks, but he knew that they were justified. Nat had been there for him on the day of the DartRail incident with a cup of hot chocolate and a bag of marshmallows. She had waited until he was on his third cup before gently prodding him for answers and information.

Tyler faked a smile as he passed, careful not to knock anything off tables as he passed. He didn’t care if he looked ridiculous, there was something oddly comforting about being cocooned in his blankets. Walking into his bedroom, he deposited the duvet in a pile on his bed, before snatching his phone off the nightstand. The blinking green light teased him as he hastily scrambled to unlock it.

_Can’t win every game :( How you feeling today?_

Jamie’s words warmed Tyler. There was 1400 miles between them, but apparently distance didn’t quell the growing emotions between them. Tyler was so glad he had replied to that first message; it seemed like so much time had past since that initial conversation when in reality it was just over a month. It didn’t feel like they were rushing into something, and Tyler clung to his phone as he waited for a reply.

**_I went to work, Pev’s went out to buy us lunch and then watched the game. Better game tomorrow. X_ **

Tyler had wondered several times over the past few days why Jamie wasn’t running away from him screaming. The guy had no idea how much baggage he came with when they had first hung out, but even after catching a glimpse of the issues that Tyler carried, he was still there. Tyler had voiced his concern to Nat after she had come back from trick-or-treating and had been promptly slapped around the back of the head for his apparent idiocy; ‘Don’t be blind, he’s smitten with you idiot!’

_I’m proud of you Ty. Will call you in the morning before practise. X_

 

* * *

 

Tyler pushed himself out of bed the next morning, running his hand through his hair. The sheets were damp from cold sweat, and he was halfway through stripping them off the bed when there was a knock at his bedroom door. Rubbing a hand over his face, Tyler glanced down at his damp t-shirt that was clinging to his body and the boxer’s he’d slept in; even he had to agree he looked a state. Clutching his pillow to his chest, Tyler slowly opened the door, letting it swing open when he saw Pev’s waiting for him on the other side.  “Hey, what’s up?”

The smile that Pev’s gave him didn’t quite reach his eye, and Tyler felt like he’d opened the door to a trap. “Get dressed buddy, we’ve got an appointment to make,” Pev’s announced. Tyler frowned at his friend as he was ushered back into his room. He watched as his friend looked at the half-stripped sheets on the bed, before Pev’s sighed softly. “I’ll sort this, you go have a quick shower okay?”

“Yh, you going to tell me where we’re going?” Tyler asked, already picking his discarded jeans up from the floor.

“No, but if you hurry up, I will buy you a coffee on the way.” Pev’s said, already working on stripping the rest of the sweaty sheets off the bed. Tyler watched his friend for a moment, before a scrunched-up pillowcase was thrown in his direction. The laughter that he huffed out, sounded strange after the last few days of fear.

Closing the door to the bathroom, Tyler stepped into the shower fully dressed. He turned the water on and thought against shrieking as the cold water pounded down on him. The water warmed quickly, and Tyler stripped out of the soaked clothes leaving them in a pile on the cubicle floor. The hot water washed away the lingering clamminess that clung to him from the night-time sweats. They had been going on for the last few days, a lingering side-effect from the panic attack he’d had on the Dart. He couldn’t remember the dreams that had him in a panicked state, but Tyler did know that he had screamed in his sleep the first night after the incident. Nat and Pev’s had sprinted into his room and shaken him awake. The couple had mirrored looks of panic as they pulled him into a hug and held him for the rest of the night.

 

His sheets had been changed by the time Tyler emerged from the bathroom freshly showered and dressed. Tyler smiled gratefully at the made bed, making a mental note to thank Pev’s for the action. His phone was flashing green as it so often was recently, and Tyler swiped it open as he started making his way downstairs. Jamie had text him in the very early hours of the morning, the time stamp stating 02:33.

_Just landed in Boston. Jordie only just lived. He was one snore away from death._

Tyler snickered at the text, the warmth in his heart spreading through his body as he hopped off the bottom stair. The sound of children shouting, and Nat’s ringing laughter filled the air, the smell of cinnamon and waffles teasing Tyler’s senses. Pev’s was waiting for him by the front door spinning his car keys around by the keyring, signalling that there was no time for breakfast for them this morning. A travel mug was pushed into his hands, before Pev’s opened the front door and ushered Tyler through. Tyler accepted the cup with grabby hands, sighing happily at the first taste of milky sweetness that was a perfectly made coffee. He silently followed Pev’s side by side as they walked down the front steps to the little car that was sat waiting for them on the side of the road. Tyler simply raised an eyebrow, not bothering to ask why the car was already out of the garage.

Climbing into the passenger seat, Tyler nursed his coffee cup as he waited for Pev’s to climb in on the other side. He waited patiently until the engine had started and the car had slowly begun to pull away before turning to face his friend. “You going to tell me where we’re going yet?”

Pev’s sighed, his attention did not falter from the road for a second, but his knuckles tightened around the steering wheel. “Don’t be pissed.”

Tyler rolled his eyes, as he snorted in reply, “I promise I won’t be pissed.”

“I’ve booked you in for an appointment at the VA.”

“Pevs!” Tyler shrieked in outrage, his mouth hanging open in shock as he stared at his friend. Pev’s knew that he hated it there, and he knew that was why he had refused to attend the stupid sessions that they had recommended him. “I take it back; I’m fucking pissed off.”

Pev’s slammed his hand against the steering wheel making Tyler jump in his seat at the action. Tyler felt his breath catch in his throat and he clutched at the edge of his seat in a panic that he couldn’t explain. “You’re not coping Ty! We almost lost you once, and I’m scared that it’s going to happen again!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am alive! As are all my stories I fucking promise!!!!
> 
> But yes busy/hectic times, I started a new job which I'm not going to lie I'm pretty meh about. Seriously I have been there six weeks and I have an interview for somewhere else that's the level of meh. So let me prepare my 'I'm sorry I have food-poisoning' voice for when I call in sick to get the day off. Bad decision? Maybe? 
> 
> I also started hockey lessons! Which are great fun, and I am fucking shit at them. Like seriously I am no Sidney Crosby despite all my dreams. But yes stay updated about that situation. What makes it more annoying though, one of my new managers gave me contact details for an amatuer coach of a local club and was like oh message this guy and he can give you a tryout. Yh not gonig to happen when I can't even skate backwards properlly. I also can't stop either. Great times!
> 
>  
> 
> But yes Tyler love and drama! I also thought of a great little Jamie plotpoint when writing this so stay tuned :)

**Author's Note:**

> This was the initial inspiration that led me to starting Highlights. The entire text conversation between Jamie and Tyler stems from a weird whatsapp message I got one day, saying this is so-so and this is my new number. Pretty much most of the conversation is copy and paste of what I actually said in response. 
> 
>  
> 
> I really hope you enjoy what will come from this, and hopefully you stick with it!


End file.
